Virat Kohli, inarguably the greatest white-ball batter of all time, finally went past Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries in ODIs. He achieved this feat in the ongoing India v New Zealand first semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Mumbai on November 15.
India captain Rohit Sharma scored a blazing 47 runs in 29 balls with 4 sixes and 4 fours after he had won the toss and chose to bat first. Shubman Gill played well also, scoring 79 runs in 65 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes before retiring hurt due to cramps.
Kohli anchored one end, while Shreyas Iyer joined him in the middle. Kohli continued to cream out runs at will as he reached his 50-run mark in 59 balls and though he slowed down a bit on a crumbly pitch, carried on in his usual style.
And finally, the moment arrived in the 42nd over as he took a double off Lockie Ferguson to achieve the three-figure mark. This was his 50th century in ODIs, going past Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record in the format.
In this process, Kohli also became the first batter to score 700 plus runs in one edition of the Cricket World Cup.
Virat Kohli celebrated the achievement by raising his bat and showing gratitude to Sachin Tendulkar, who was applauding from the stands.
Also celebrating from the stands was Kohli’s wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. She also blew kisses at Kohli who soaked in the adulation from the Wankhede crowd.
Kohli finally fell for 117 runs in 113 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes.
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