Virat Kohli slams record-equaling 49th ODI ton, emulates Sachin Tendulkar
India's Run Machine Virat Kohli has smashed his 49th century in ODIs. He reached the mark while batting first against South Africa in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter in Kolkata. Kohli has now equaled Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar in terms of ODI tons. The duo has the joint-most ODI centuries. Kohli celebrated his 35th birthday in style, with India scoring 326/5.
Why does this story matter?
Before this match, Tendulkar was the only player to reach 49 centuries in ODI cricket. He touched this mark on March 16, 2012, as India took on Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. It was the penultimate innings of Tendulkar's ODI career, where he smashed 114, also his 100th international ton. Kohli, who had just 10 ODI tons back then, has come a long way.
Kohli paced his knock brilliantly against SA
Kohli arrived after India lost Rohit Sharma, who departed after smashing an authoritative 24-ball 40. The former took India past 200 along with Shreyas Iyer after they lost both Rohit and Shubman Gill at 93. Kohli paced his knock brilliantly and completed his century off 119 balls in the 49th over. He returned unbeaten on 101(121), a knock laced with 10 fours.
Kohli and Iyer add 134 runs
Kohli and Iyer added 134 runs for the third wicket after Gill and Rohit departed. They now have the highest partnership against South Africa in the ongoing World Cup. The previous-highest partnership against SA was 84 by Pakistan's Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan in Chennai.
Second player with 6,000 ODI runs at home
During his knock, Kohli also completed 6,000 runs in ODI cricket at home. He is only the second player to achieve this feat after Tendulkar, who owns 6,976 runs in this regard. Kohli smashed his 23rd ODI ton at home, already the most in home conditions. He is the only player with more than 20 ODI tons at home venues.
119 fifty-plus scores in ODIs
Kohli slammed his 119th fifty-plus score in ODI cricket, now the second-most after Tendulkar (145). Kohli broke a tie with Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (118) in this regard. Besides 49 tons, the former has 70 half-centuries in the format. Kohli is the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket, having smashed over 13,500 runs. He is only behind Tendulkar, Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting.
Third Indian with an ODI century on their birthday
King Kohli turned 35 on November 5. He marked the occasion with a scintillating ton against the Proteas in Kolkata. Interestingly, Kohli became the third Indian batter to have scored an ODI century on their birthday. Tendulkar (134 vs Australia, 1998) and Vinod Kambli (100* vs England, 1993) are the only other Indian players on this list.
Where was Kohli when Tendulkar scripted history?
By March 2012, Kohli had cemented his spot in India's ODI XI. He also starred in India's 2011 World Cup-winning campaign. Kohli awaited a golden decade as Tendulkar prepared to sign off. Together, they represented India in 31 ODIs. By March 16, 2012, the former had 3,407 runs from 84 ODIs at an average of 48.67. The tally also included 21 half-centuries.
Fastest to 26,000 international runs; 79 tons across formats
After a decade, Kohli is certainly ruling the roost. He is the fastest to complete 26,000 runs in international cricket, having reached here in his 567th inning. He broke Tendulkar's record, who accomplished the feat in his 600th inning. Kohli now has a total of 79 international centuries, the second-most after Tendulkar (100). Only time will tell if Kohli reaches the ultimate century.
