Former India skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most number of centuries in One Day Internationals by playing 175 fewer matches as India annihilated South Africa.
Batting first, India made 326-5 in 50 overs with Virat Kohli playing an unbeaten knock of 101 runs. Shreyas Iyer made 77 while skipper Rohit Sharma made a quickfire 40 from 24 balls.
In response, South Africa were all out for just 89. Ravindra Jadeja picked up five wickets, while Mohammad Shami and Kuldeep Yadav shared two wickets each. Shami has now picked up 16 wickets in four matches with two five-wicket hauls. Shami has also become the most successful bowler for India in the history of World Cup.
This was Virat Kohli’s 49th century in One Day International as he equaled the record of most ODI centuries held by Sachin Tendulkar. However, Tendulkar achieved this feat in 452 innings. Kohli, for his part, has achieved this feat in just 277 innings, 175 less than what it took for Tendulkar to score that many centuries.
This also proves that Kohli is destined to become the greatest of all time cricketer, eclipsing the reputation of Tendulkar.
Reacting to his record-equalling feat, Kohli said, “To equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I know where I come from, I know the days when I watched him on TV. Just to get an appreciation from him means a lot to me.”
India have already secured a spot in the semi-final. South Africa too have made it to the last four.