'I’ll never say never with him ' - Ricky Ponting believes Virat Kohli can break Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 100 international centuries

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting reckons that batting megastar  Virat Kohli will be able to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 100 international centuries. At the same time, Ponting also added that even though Kohli needs to score 30 more tons in order to get the job done, his hunger for success at the highest level could help him achieve the unachievable. 

Ponting's remarks came ahead of the first T20I between India and Australia at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20. Kohli will be heading into this contest having scored his maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 Super Four encounter earlier this month.

I still think he has got a number of years ahead of him: Ricky Ponting on Virat Kohli

"If you would have asked me three years ago, I’d have said yes. But the fact that it has slowed down as much as it did yeah, I still think that it is possible for him, there’s no doubt," Ponting said on the ICC Review.

"I still think he has got a number of years ahead of him, but I guess to still be 30 international hundreds behind, that’s a lot. That’s five or six Test hundreds a year maybe for the next three or four years. If you throw a couple of one-day ones, maybe the odd T20 ones on top of it", he added.

"Look, I’ll never say never with Virat because you know once he gets on a bit of a roll, you know how hungry he is and how keen for success he is. I’ll never say never that’s for sure", the three-time World Cup winner further added.

Virat Kohli is now tied with Ricky Ponting (71) in the list of the most international centuries and he would now be hoping to overhaul the two-time World Cup-winning skipper in the upcoming home bilateral series against Australia and South Africa or during the next month's T20 World Cup 2022 down under. 

It took the batting icon almost three years to end his century drought when he broke the shackles against Afghanistan scoring a blistering 61-ball 122.