Former England skipper Nasser Hussain and ex-Indian coach Ravi Shastri heaped praise on “genius” Virat Kohli, who surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds on Wednesday (November 15).

Kohli slammed his record-setting 50th ODI ton in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Hailing Kohli as the ‘best in the world’, Hussain said he never expected someone to better Tendulkar’s record in his lifetime.

The star batter played a brilliant knock of 117 while Shreyas Iyer also slammed a whirlwind century (105) as India racked up a mammoth 397/4 in the semi-final fixture.

“You could not write a better script, to be honest. I played against Sachin and I never thought I would see someone go past Sachin in my lifetime, to be honest. Sachin was the best batter I have ever seen,” Hussain said on Star Sports.

“For this lad to do it on Sachin’s home ground with Sachin in attendance in a World Cup semi-final, with such style and power, it was just awesome. The modern-day master has just gone past the Little Master. He’s the best in the world, it’s as simple as that. He’s a genius,” he added.

On the other hand, Shastri lauded Kohli for his determination and work ethic during the extended lean patch when he failed to hit a century for almost three years.

“I think it he deserves every bit of it, you know. Just for his work ethics, professionalism, attention to detail and the way he prepares. He went through a period where he couldn’t get a run, couldn’t get a hundred for 3 years, but his work ethics never changed. He was determined, he carried on in the same fashion, and he’s been rewarded for that hard work he put in at that time,” Shastri said.

Coming to the semi-final, Mohammad Shami returned with a seven-wicket haul (7-57) to help India bundle out the Kiwis for 327 in 48.5 overs.

The Rohit Sharma-led side will now face either Australia or South Africa in the World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).