Virat Kohli, the Indian cricketing maestro, recently made history by becoming the first player to score 50 One Day International centuries, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. This momentous occasion took place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, with Tendulkar himself present in the stands.
Setting New Records
Kohli’s impressive score of 117 contributed to India’s massive total of 397/4, the highest first-innings total in a men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final. This feat also saw Kohli outdo Tendulkar’s previous record to become the highest run-scorer in a single ICC CWC.
Tendulkar’s Congratulatory Gesture
Following the first innings, Tendulkar was among the first to congratulate Kohli. “The great man just congratulated me, all this feels like a dream. It’s too good to be true, it feels surreal,” Kohli expressed.
He further added, “I never thought I’d be here ever in my career. Just to help the team so many times. I’m just glad that everything came together so nicely and we put up a great total on the board as well.”
Contributions from Teammates
Kohli’s century was preceded by a remarkable opening stand between Rohit Sharma (47 from 29) and Shubman Gill (80* from 66). Shreyas Iyer also played a pivotal role, scoring a stunning ton of 105 from just 70 balls.
“As I said a lot of times before, for me the most important thing is to make my team win,” Kohli said. “I’ve been given a role this tournament and I’m trying to play that to the best of my abilities, dig deep and bat long so that the others can sort of play around me.”
Saluting the Loved Ones
Upon reaching his century, Kohli gestured towards the stands, acknowledging his wife Anushka Sharma and Tendulkar. He described the moment as a dream, with his loved ones and hero present in the stands.
“It’s stuff of dreams, Anushka was sitting right there, Sachin was there in the stands. My life partner, the person I love the most, she’s sitting there. My hero, he’s sitting there. And I was able to get there in front of all of them and all these fans in Wankhede as well, such a historic venue. It was amazing,” Kohli shared.