"It was inevitable": Atul Wassan on Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI ton

Gurugram (Haryana) [India], November 30 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan said that another century of Virat Kohli's bat was "inevitable" after the star Indian batter scored his 52nd ODI ton in the India vs South Africa match at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi.
While Wassan expressed joy over Virat's performance, he remained unsure if both Virat and Rohit Sharma will be able to continue the good form till the 2027 World Cup.
Virat, who last played an international match back in October, also broke the record of most centuries by a batter in a single format of the game, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 51 centuries in Tests.
"This moment was inevitable. I'm happy it finally happened, though a little disappointed that it took three years. I felt he should have reached 62 centuries given his earlier pace, especially considering how quickly he used to score and how his form dipped," the former India cricketer told ANI.
While he praised Virat's century, Wassan expressed uncertainty about whether Rohit and Virat can maintain their form until the 2027 World Cup, noting that sustaining performance for several years will be challenging as younger players emerge. He believes, however, that they are doing their best to stay at the top.
"I can't say for sure if they (Rohit and Kohli) can continue this till the 2027 World Cup. That remains a big question. They will perform, because they are exceptional players, but the team management and selectors need to discuss their long-term plans--what the exit strategy is. Maintaining this level for another 3-4 years will be challenging. As younger players come in, even if they match their level, sustaining spots becomes harder. This will be a difficult phase, but I believe they're doing everything possible to stay at the top," Wassan said.
Wassan also noted that public focus on centuries has grown, with a hundred seen as the key measure of success, while scores like 99 are often undervalued despite their impact on winning. He suggested that this perception might need reconsideration.
"But over time, the focus on his hundreds increased--not from the players, but from fans, analysts, and journalists. Reaching a hundred is a big milestone in cricket, and because of how the sport is perceived, scoring a century is often seen as the only marker of success. A score of 99 is sometimes undervalued, even though those runs contribute just as much to winning. Cricket's structure makes a century feel like a major barrier crossed, but perhaps we need to rethink that," he added.
Wassan highlighted Virat's dedication, noting that playing only one format and training alone at his age requires immense effort, making his continued high-level performance especially remarkable.
"What people often overlook is the dedication he shows. He is playing only one format now, along with Rohit Sharma. While the team rotates through T20Is and Tests, he trains alone, away from the usual environment. At his age, stepping out of the regular system and then returning to perform at a high level takes enormous effort. This is what makes his achievements remarkable. He was scoring runs before, but the fact that he continues to do so in this phase shows his genius."
Wassan emphasised that Kohli and Rohit remain fully committed, maintaining good performance despite training separately from the team and working harder to reintegrate with the team outside the usual environment.
"People think it's easy to maintain form when you stay constantly within a team environment--with the same coaches, routines, and rhythm. But he has stepped outside that. He goes home, trains separately, and must work even harder to reintegrate with the team. Yet he hasn't allowed his performance to drop. This proves he and Rohit are both still fully committed," he concluded. (ANI)