Virat Kohli on verge of breaking Ricky Ponting's all-time record vs NZ in upcoming ODI series

The first ODI of the three-match series between India and New Zealand will kick off on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. It will be a good chance for India to win the series and climb to the number one position in the ICC ODI team rankings.

The year 2022 began in grand fashion for the Indian team, with Virat Kohli returning to his vintage form. He has smashed three ODI centuries in the last four innings and is coming off a brilliant 166 not out against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI match in Trivandrum.

He has scored 46 ODI centuries until now and is just three centuries behind Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 49. He would like to continue his purple patch against the No. 1 ranked team, New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Black Caps will be high on confidence after their recent 2-1 win over Pakistan.

However, New Zealand is without their key players like Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, and wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham will be leading the side. Meanwhile, Virat is on the verge of breaking yet another record. He has performed brilliantly against New Zealand in the past.

But he will look to surpass former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's all-time record of most ODI centuries against New Zealand. Ponting scored six ODI centuries against the Black Caps in his career, while Virat is joint-second on the list with five centuries. Sachin and Sanath Jayasuriya are the other two with five hundreds against New Zealand.

If Virat can score one century in three games, then he will equal the record of Ponting and Virender Sehwag of six centuries, and if he can score two centuries, then he will become the player with the most centuries against the Black Caps.

Four out of five centuries for Virat came at home, which is a good sign. But his recent record against New Zealand hasn't been that great. He has scored 224 runs in the last seven innings with only two half-centuries. But his current form indicates that he might get a big score in the upcoming series.