India’s star batter Virat Kohli on Sunday (November 5) slammed his 49th ODI hundred to equal the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s world record.
Kohli achieved this feat in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Thanks to his gritty knock of 101 not out in 121 balls on a slow pitch, India posted a massive 326/5 on the board. Kohli was awarded Player-of-the-Match after the hosts went on to win the match by a huge margin of 243 runs.
Following the match, Virat Kohli shared his feelings on equalling his hero Tendulkar’s tally of most ODI centuries, saying that it was an emotional moment for him.
“It is all too much for me to take in now, to equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. It’s a very emotional moment for me, I know where I come from, I know the days where I have been watched him on TV. Just to get that appreciation from him means a lot to me,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.
Kohli’s record-equalling ton came on his 35th birthday. No wonder, it was a special one for him.
“It was a big game, probably playing the toughest team in the tournament. There was a motivation to do well. Because it happened on my birthday, it becomes special and the people made it more special for me. I did wake up with that excitement that today is not just another game. People from the outside look at the game in a bit of a different way,” he added.
Kohli further talked about India’s approach while batting. He revealed that the message from the dressing room for the players was to bat around him.
“When then openers start well, you feel it is a belter and everyone has to play that way. But as the ball got older, the conditions slowed down drastically. The message was clear, keep batting around me. I was happy from that perspective. Once we got more than 315, we knew that we were above par,” he stated.
Kohli has been in terrific form with the bat in this World Cup, amassing 543 runs from 8 innings at a remarkable average of 108.60, including two hundreds and four half-centuries.
“I’m enjoying myself, playing cricket all over again, that is more important to me than phases. I’m just happy that God has blessed me with that enjoyment. I’m just happy that I’m being able to do what I have done over all these years,” he remarked.
