A half-century of centuries in ODI cricket. Virat Kohli has achieved the magical milestone to go past his hero Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds.
Kohli now has 50 centuries in his ODI career, the most by any batter in the format’s history.
He did that in front of Tendulkar who watched him create history and lauded his effort with a standing ovation alongside thousands of other fans who had assembled at the Wankhede Stadium to witness in flesh Kohli get to the record.
Kohli’s 49th century came on his 35th birthday, a 2023 world cup league match between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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And incidentally, his 50th century came on the same day when Tendulkar made his international debut – November 15.
Tendulkar, one of the greatest batters to have played the game, made his India debut on November 15, 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi. He went on to become the most prolific run-getter in international cricket history and a bona fide legend.
“A big, big congratulations to Virat, he made it look easy, he’s gone to 50 hundreds in ODI format,” a beaming Tendulkar told the world cup broadcasters on Wednesday.
“Incredible, super, we are all super proud of him,” he added.
Tendulkar then narrated a hilarious story that culminated in Kohli touching his feet.
“I still remember the first day when he got into the Indian dressing room. The other players played prank on him and made him touch my feet saying that this is tradition, you have to touch his feet to take his blessings, that’s when you are going to have a good career. I was laughing away,” he said.
“Today to see the same player grow so beautifully and achieve so many laurels for our country, I am so proud,” he added.
Kohli has now scored three centuries in the ongoing world cup and has also become the first player in history to score 700 runs in a single edition.
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