Virat Kohli scripted history with a huge milestone in ODI cricket after scoring a hundred against New Zealand in the World Cup 2023 semi-final on Sunday, November 15. Kohli became the first-ever cricketer to score 50 ODI hundreds and broke Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record for most centuries in 50-over international cricket.
The former cricketer broke Sachin’s record of 49 hundreds at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens during a league stage game against South Africa on his birthday, November 5. He finally ended a wait by smashing a sensational century at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium with Sachin in his presence.
PM Modi took to the social media platform ‘X’ and captioned a heartwarming post for the former India skipper. “Today, @imVkohli has not just scored his 50th ODI century but has also exemplified the spirit of excellence and perseverance that defines the best of sportsmanship.
This remarkable milestone is a testament to his enduring dedication and exceptional talent. I extend heartfelt congratulations to him. May he continue setting a benchmark for future generations,” he wrote.
Kohli took 106 balls to reach his hundred and celebrated a hundred with a jump in the air. The crowd at Wankhede erupted in a wild celebration, including his wife and Bollywood veteran Anushka Sharma. Sachin also applauded with claps and Virat acknowledged his icon’s reaction by bowling down.
Having missed out on the opportunity in the game against the Netherlands in India’s last game of the round-robin stage at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Virat was smelling blood from the time he arrived in the middle at Wankhede.
Renowned as “King Kohli”, the right-handed batter took centre stage in the ninth over of India’s innings in the semis after Tim Southee deceived skipper Rohit Sharma off a slower delivery.
The 35-year-old blocked his first delivery but inside-edged the next one towards fine leg to get off the mark and fetch his first boundary of the game. In the 14th over, Virat nailed a cover drive for a boundary off Rachin Ravindra as the latter erred in his line and length and bowled a delivery right in Virat’s driving arc.
From then on, Kohli never looked back and built his entire innings as an adept architect focused on the task at hand. The Delhi-born built his innings brick by brick, running hard between the wickets in Mumbai’s severe humidity and pouncing onto anything loose that came his way.
He reached his fifty on the final delivery of the 27th over as he took a single down to long-on and acknowledged a rousing reception from the Wankhede crowd. Cognizant that he needed to switch gears keeping the nature of the surface and the magnitude of the occasion in mind, Virat accelerated and reached his 50th ODI hundred off 106 deliveries in the 42nd over.
