Kohli cracks 50th ODI century and surpasses Sachin Tendulkar
Virat Kohli went past his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 49 ODI tons with a glorious century against New Zealand in the first semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Kohli had equalled Tendulkar’s record when got to his 49th ODI century on his 35th birthday against South Africa at Eden Gardens, where he had hit his first ODI hundred. Kohli went one better at Tendulkar’s home ground and in his adoring presence, as Tendulkar watched intently from the stands, sitting alongside football legend David Beckham.
Kohli’s ton was a typically responsible one, where he eschewed the risks and married caution with positive intent. He hit eight fours and one six en route the hundred, scoring majority of his runs by sprinting between the wickets in the sweltering Mumbai heat.
He went past another milestone of Tendulkar along the way, scoring the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup. Tendulkar had hit 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup, and Kohli bettered it during his historic semi-final knock. Kohli also surpassed Aussie legend Ricky Ponting in the all-time highest ODI run-getters list. Ponting had scored 13,704 runs in his 50-over career. (Outlook India)
