November 5th 2023.
On Sunday, former India captain Virat Kohli achieved a major milestone in Match 37 of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Kolkata. Not only did he score his 49th ODI hundred, but he also tied Sachin Tendulkar's world record for the most tons in one-day internationals. Furthermore, his knock against South Africa at the Eden Gardens allowed Kohli to equal Tendulkar's record of scoring more than 6000 runs in ODI cricket in a single country.
Kohli has been in remarkable form with the bat for India throughout this tournament. He is the second highest scorer in the World Cup with over 500 runs in 8 ODIs at an average of over 100, and is one of only three batters who have crossed the 500-run mark in this edition. The 35-year-old is the third Indian to achieve the feat in a single ODI World Cup following Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma.
Kohli also became the third Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli to score a century on his birthday in ODI cricket. Tendulkar had previously expressed his joy that the 49 hundreds record would stay with India in ODI cricket. He said, “The 49 ODI hundreds record is not my record, it's India's record. As long as it stays with India, I am happy.”
Kohli reflected on his journey in international cricket, saying he never expected himself to score so many runs and centuries for Team India since making his international debut in 2008. He explained, “If you talk about cricket, where my career is right now... God has blessed me with the career span and performances. I never thought it would pan out like this. No one can plan these things. I never thought I would score so many centuries and runs in 12 years. This has been my dream always about how to make the my team win and give my 100% always for my team. I always thought to do well for my team and make the team win in difficult situations.”
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