Virat Kohli was the toast of the Indian innings in their ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 match against South Africa. This match is being played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 5, 2023.
India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first. He led from the front and hit a breezy 40 runs in 24 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes, as India added 91 runs in the first 10 overs. After that, it was hard work for Indian batters as the pitch slowed down and the bounce for lower.
Shubman Gill was cleaned up by Keshav Maharaj for 23 runs. But then Shreyas Iyer (77 with 7 fours and 2 sixes) added 134 runs for the third wicket with Virat Kohli to give India a good chance for a big score.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, anchored one end and scored 101* in 120 balls with 10 fours. Suryakumar Yadav (22) and Ravindra Jadeja (29*) helped India put 326/5 in 50 overs.
Kohli, who is celebrating his 35th birthday today, also equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries in ODI cricket.
After the match, Kohli spoke to official broadcasters about his knock and said that it was a great feeling to score a hundred on his birthday.
“It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on, we got a great start from Rohit and Shubman, and my job was to keep it going. The ball started gripping and turning after the 10th over, it slowed down and then my role was to bat deep with the others playing around me. That was what was communicated to me by the team management, Shreyas played well and we got a few more runs towards the end.
We had a lot of chats during the Asia Cup, we bat at 3 and 4, so this was the partnership that was needed to take the game forward. We don't have Hardik in the team, so we knew a wicket or two could cost us, we had to dig deep and take the match deep. I'm grateful to god for giving me the chance to play and contribute to the team's success. It's great to get a hundred on my birthday in front of this big crowd at this great venue.
The pitch is on the slower side, we have a quality bowling line-up as well, but we'll have to work hard. Wickets will be the key, getting a couple early will put them under pressure with the way this pitch is behaving,” Kohli told Star Sports.
