Virat Kohli characterizes the moment of achieving his 50th ODI century.
Updated: Dec 11, 2023
An Indian batsman becomes the first to achieve 50 ODI hundreds and also surpasses Tendulkar's record for the most runs in a World Cup.
Virat Kohli, after becoming the first batsman to achieve 50 ODI centuries, described the moment as "the perfect picture." He accomplished this feat during a World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, with his wife Anushka Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar, whose record he surpassed, present at the venue.
In the 42nd over of India's innings, Kohli flicked Lockie Ferguson behind square, completing the two runs that secured his 50th hundred. His celebration included a leap, a punch in the air, and the removal of his helmet. He then raised his arms and bowed towards the stands where Tendulkar and Anushka stood, applauding his achievement.
During the innings break, Kohli expressed, "It's the stuff of dreams. Anushka was sitting right there, Sachin paaji was there in the stands. I mean, it's very difficult for me to explain this, but if I could paint the perfect picture, I would want this to be the picture. My life partner, the person I love the most, she's sitting there. My hero, he's sitting there. And I was able to get the 50th in front of all of them and all these fans at Wankhede as well, such a historic venue. It was amazing."
While Tendulkar achieved his 49th hundred in his 451st ODI innings, Kohli reached that milestone in just 277 innings - matching the landmark against South Africa in India's second-last league game of the World Cup, and then breaking the record in his 279th innings.
Expressing his feelings, Kohli said, "I said it in Kolkata, the great man (Sachin Tendulkar) just congratulated me, all this feels like a dream for me, honestly. It's too good to be true, feels surreal, I never thought I'll be here ever in my career. Just to help the team so many times, again, a big game today, I had to kind of play the role I've played throughout the tournament so that the guys around me can go and express themselves. Just glad that everything came together so nicely and we put up a great total on the board as well."
Kohli's monumental century in the recent match not only etched his name in the record books but also saw him surpass Tendulkar in a remarkable feat. Breaking Tendulkar's record for the most runs in a single edition of the ODI World Cup, Kohli achieved this milestone during Wednesday's semi-final clash. Tendulkar had previously set the record with 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup, but Kohli eclipsed that mark when he reached his 80th run, ultimately becoming the first batsman to amass 700 runs in a single ODI World Cup.
When Kohli was eventually dismissed after a stellar performance, he had accumulated a staggering 711 runs in the tournament at an impressive average of 101.57 and a strike rate of 90.68.
This century marked Kohli's third in the current World Cup, complemented by five half-centuries in ten matches. During the semi-final, he entered the crease in the ninth over with India's score at 71 for 1. Kohli went on to form crucial partnerships, including a 93-run stand with Shubman Gill and a formidable 163-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer. His innings, comprising 117 runs off 113 balls, played a pivotal role in India posting a mammoth total of 397 for 4, the highest in a knockout game in World Cup history.
Reflecting on his performance, Kohli emphasized his commitment to the team's success, stating, "As I've said a lot of times before, the most important thing is to make my team win, and whatever it takes to do that, I'm ready to do that, whether it's running singles and doubles, hitting boundaries, whatever the team wants me to do." Kohli attributed his consistent performance to playing according to the situation and fulfilling the role assigned to him in the tournament, allowing the team to build confidence and dominate crucial phases of the game.
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