After their loss in the Champions Trophy 2025, England’s journey has come to an end as Afghanistan defeated them by 8 runs in a nail-biting contest. However, star English batter Joe Root played a heroic 120-run knock to smash his 17th ODI century and reignite his limited overs career.

Root, who had a challenging season with the bat in 50-overs cricket in the recent past played a remarkable knock and made England’s comeback in the game evident before succumbing his innings to a slip-up and leaving his team without a set batter. His dismissal, although proved detrimental to his team, has, however, managed to stoke the famous rivalry between him and the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Kohli’s emphatic 17th century

Kohli scored his 17th century way back in 2013 against Australia in Nagpur. During that match, Australia had posed a mammoth total of 350 runs for India to chase. Australia’s then skipper George Bailey played an emphatic innings of 156 runs followed by a centurion contribution from Shane Watson who played a 102-run knock to lead their team to the total.
In response, Kohli with his unbeaten 115 runs and a century from Shikhar Dhawan made the run-chase too easy for the home side. This was Kohli’s 17 ton in his career which was star-studded with 18 boundaries and a six.

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Virat Kohli vs Joe Root: ODI stats after 17 centuries

Kohli achieved his 17th ODI century in just 112 innings, maintaining an impressive average of 52.32 at that stage of his career. In contrast, Root reached the same milestone after 165 innings. While Root has accumulated more runs and half-centuries than Kohli, it is evident that the Indian star has been more consistent and impactful, with a superior average and a quicker route to the landmark. Kohli’s ability to consistently perform at a high level in fewer innings highlights his exceptional consistency and efficiency.

A table showcasing the statistical comparison of the two players after 17 centuries is listed below:

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