Virat Kohli bowed down to Sachin Tendulkar, who was in the stands, after completing his 50th ODI century. That came during the 2023 World Cup semifinal between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15.
With the ton, Kohli eclipsed the previous record of most tons held by Tendulkar. He has now stretched his international tons tally to 80. The No.3 batter departed for 117 runs off 113 balls, including two sixes and nine boundaries.
Virat Kohli's record ton came in the 42nd over of India’s innings. He whipped a 135.1 kmph delivery towards the deep backward square leg before taking a couple of runs off Lockie Ferguson to reach his century. The 35-year-old jumped and punched the air in delight after completing his 100.
For the unversed, the right-handed batter was on his knees due to cramps before taking off his helmet and raising his hands. He then bowed down to Tendulkar, who was with legendary footballer David Beckham in the stands. In the meantime, Virat Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma blew him flying kisses.
Watch the moment below:
During his ton, Kohli also broke Tendulkar’s record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup. The latter had slammed 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup. The Delhi-born cricketer is currently the leading run-getter in the marquee ICC tournament, scoring 711 runs in 10 matches, including three tons and four half-centuries.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer dominate New Zealand after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s flying start
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer dominated New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semifinal. The duo shared a 163-run partnership after Shubman Gill retired hurt on the score of 164/1.
Earlier, India captain Rohit Sharma provided a flying start, scoring 47 runs off 29 balls, including four sixes and four tons. He shared a 71-run stand with Gill for the opening wicket. Gill smashed 79 runs off 65 deliveries, including three sixes and eight boundaries before being forced back to the pavilion.
At the time of writing, India were 377/2 after 48.3 overs, with Shreyas Iyer on 101 off 67 and KL Rahul on 25 from 16 balls.
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