Quinton de Kock officially BEATS Virat Kohli to become ODI cricket’s No.1 century machine

South Africa’s seasoned wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has achieved a major milestone by surpassing India’s batting superstar Virat Kohli in the ongoing third and final ODI in Vishakhapatnam.

Quinton de Kock smashed his seventh century against India. He reached 100 in just 80 balls by smashing his sixth six off Harshit Rana in the ODI series decider on Saturday, December 3. With this stunning century, De Kock now holds the record for the most centuries against India in ODIs.

Quinton de Kock overtakes Virat Kohli in ODI century conversion

Quinton de Kock achieved this feat in only 23 innings, becoming the fastest player to do so. The Proteas opener now shares the record of seven hundreds against India with Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya, who achieved it in 85 innings. AB de Villiers, Ricky Ponting, and Kumar Sangakkara have six centuries each against India.

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Additionally, Vishakhapatnam witnessed a massive record-breaking moment as De Kock has overtaken Virat Kohli to become the most efficient century-maker in ODI cricket history when it comes to turning fifties into hundreds.

The 32-year-old batter now has the best conversion rate in ODIs among players who have batted in at least 100 innings. His success rate stands at an astonishing 41.81%, placing him just ahead of Kohli’s 41.40%. South Africa's Hashim Amla takes the third spot with 40.91%, followed by former Australian opener David Warner at 40% and West Indies batter Shai Hope at 38.78%.

Quinton de Kock equals Kumar Sangakkara; joins elite club with 7 centuries in away ODIs

Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock becomes one of the most prolific wicketkeeper-batters in ODI cricket with 23 centuries, as he equals legendary Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara for the most hundreds by a designated wicketkeeper in the format.

Shai Hope (19) ranked second in the list, followed by the Australian legend Adam Gilchrist (16), Jos Buttler (11), and AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni—both have 10 centuries each.

Additionally, De Kock has joined an elite group of batters with seven ODI centuries scored in an away country. He has equalled the records of legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Saeed Anwar, who each scored seven hundreds in the UAE; AB de Villiers, who also hit seven ODI tons in India; and Rohit Sharma, who also has seven ODI tons to his name in England.

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Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav shine as Proteas bowled out for 270 in Vizag ODI

Meanwhile, India fought back strongly as Prasidh Krishna starred with the ball, taking four wickets to help his team bowl out South Africa for 270. The fast bowler justified the trust of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain KL Rahul as he broke crucial partnerships in the middle overs by dismissing Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, and centurion De Kock.

Kuldeep Yadav also claimed four wickets while keeping the Proteas under pressure. India’s fielding was top-notch to add to South Africa’s woes. Despite De Kock’s valiant 106-run effort, South Africa could not push the total higher. Captain Temba Bavuma was another standout batter for them with 48 runs off 67 balls against India.

With the three-match ODI series tied at 1-1, India must win the Vizag decider to secure the series and avoid a rare consecutive ODI series defeat at home.