India register the highest-ever total in ODI World Cup semi-finals
India racked up a mammoth 397/4 against New Zealand in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill once again gave India a solid start, while Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer slammed centuries to bolster India. Kohli hammered a record-breaking 50th ODI ton. India now have the highest-ever total in ODI World Cup semi-finals.
50th ODI ton for Kohli
Kohli entered the record books by smashing his 50th century in One-Day Internationals. He touched the three-figure mark in the 42nd over. Kohli took India past the 300-run mark along with Iyer. The former, who sustained cramps throughout his knock, slammed a formidable 117 off 113 balls. His knock was laced with 9 fours and 2 sixes.
Third-most runs in ODIs
Playing his 291st ODI, Kohli went past Ricky Ponting's tally of 13,704 runs in the format. He is now only behind Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) in terms of ODI runs. While Kohli averages 58-plus in the format, none of the other batters with at least 10,000 runs average even 51. Kohli has been ridiculously sensational with his consistency in ODIs.
150 ODI sixes for Kohli
Kohli reached yet another feat as he completed 150 sixes in the ODI format. Rohit (320), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (229), Tendulkar (195), Sourav Ganguly (190), and Yuvraj Singh (155) are the only other Indian internationals with over 150 maximums in ODIs. In 2023, Kohli has smashed over 20 sixes in 26 outings. Eight of them have come in a solitary innings.
Eight 50+ scores in ODI World Cups
Kohli has become the first-ever player with more than seven fifty-plus scores in ODI World Cups. The one at Wankhede was his eighth such score. Tendulkar (2003) and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (2019) occupy the second spot, with seven fifty-plus scores each in the tournament. Both Rohit and David Warner slammed six fifty-plus scores in the 2019 World Cup.
50 WC sixes for Rohit
Rohit now owns 51 sixes in 27 World Cup matches. He overtook West Indies's Chris Gayle's tally of 49 maximums to become the highest six-hitter in the competition history. Australia's Glenn Maxwell (43) is the only other batter with 40 sixes in the tournament. Notably, 28 of Rohit's maximums have come in the ongoing tournament, the most for any batter.
Iyer slams a blistering knock
Iyer came to the middle after India lost skipper Rohit for 71 runs. The former joined forces with Gill and then Kohli. While Kohli constantly rotated the strike, Iyer went after spinners. Iyer smashed eight sixes en route to his century that came in the 48th over. He completed his century off 67 balls, smashing a 70-ball 105 (4s: 4, 6s: 8).
