Kohli on track to emulate Tendulkar

One of the most intriguing sub-plots in Indian cricket over the next decade will be Virat Kohli's attempt to surpass the great Sachin Tendulkar and become the most prolific century-maker in one-day international history.

Tendulkar's 24-year dominance of world cricket saw him take a stranglehold over almost every statistical record in the book, but it has long been forecast that Kohli would one day surpass him in ODI cricket.

The likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly have both predicted that Tendulkar's ODI record of 49 centuries, 19 more than any other player, will eventually be passed on to his contemporary.

And Kohli's form in the current Victoria Bitter ODI series against Australia has only added weight to that theory.

The 27-year-old's century in Canberra on Wednesday night was his 25th in ODI cricket, meaning he is more than halfway to Tendulkar's tally of 49. 

WATCH: Kohli's 25th ODI century

He currently sits equal fourth on the list of ODI century-makers alongside Kumar Sangakkara, and the records of Sanath Jayasuriya (28) and Ricky Ponting (30) are well within his reach.

But can he double his current tally and surpass the great Tendulkar?

All signs point to yes.

Every statistical comparison between the pair works out favourably for Kohli.

The right-hander currently boasts a record of 25 hundreds, 36 fifties, 7204 runs and an average of 52 from 162 innings. 

At the same point of Tendulkar's career, the Little Master had 'just' 12 hundreds, 34 fifties, 5651 runs and an average of 38. 

WATCH: Highlights of Tendulkar's career

Kohli's 25th century came in his 162nd innings; it took Tendulkar 234 innings to reach that mark.

Kohli, aged just 27, has time on his side too. He is three years older than Tendulkar was at the same point of his career, but another decade of ODI cricket is not out of the question.

India's love of the one-day format shows no signs of slowing down either, meaning Kohli's average of 23 ODIs a year since his debut in 2008 is unlikely to change significantly. 

Based purely on Kohli's current record, and not taking into account a loss of form or fitness, the star right-hander should eclipse Tendulkar before his 35th birthday.

No matter which way you look at it, The Little Master's record is in danger. 

WATCH: Another classy century for Kohli

For his part, Kohli says he tries his best to ignore discussions about his place in history.

"I still think of myself as a club cricketer wanting to do well in every game, honestly," he said on Friday when asked about becoming the fastest man to achieve the 7000 run milestone.

"That's the mindset I used to have (when I was younger). I just wanted to go out there and win every match for my academy team and score the most number of runs in every game I played, finish not out at the end and finish the game off.

"That was something that I was always taught by my coach and something that I've been able to remember.

"I don't think about what has happened in my career so far.

"At times you do get reminded of it and people speak to you about it, but you don't actually sit down and have a discussion about it. But you go back to your room and think 'this is probably too surreal to believe'.

"Because in our heads we still feel like we're playing our first game, we have that excitement and that nervousness before we go out to bat.

"For the outside world it's a number of things - stats, numbers and your career altogether, which we never look at when we go out onto the field.

"And I think it's very important because the moment you start drifting towards that side, you lose focus on what you have to do and everything starts crumbling down.

"So stats and numbers take care of itself on the sidelines.

"I like to feel grateful that I am in that position, but it's important to remember what got me into that position and hold on to those values and those beliefs."

In the more immediate future, Kohli will be chasing his third consecutive century when the Indians look to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash in the fifth and final match against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.

A century at the SCG would see Kohli become just the eighth man in history and the first Indian to scores centuries in three consecutive matches.

And add to an already incredible legacy.

Tendulkar v Kohli (after 162 innings)

Virat Kohli

Age: 27
Hundreds: 25
Fifties: 36
Runs: 7204
Average: 51.82
Strike Rate: 89.99

Sachin Tendulkar

Age: 24
Hundreds: 12
Fifties: 34
Runs: 5651
Average: 38.44
Strike Rate: 82.16

Most ODI centuries

49 - Sachin Tendulkar
30 - Ricky Ponting
28 - Sanath Jayasuriya
25 - Virat Kohli
25 - Kumar Sangakkara

Tendulkar's career record

Matches: 463
Hundreds: 49
Fifties: 96
Runs: 18426
Average: 44.83
Strike Rate: 86.23