49 centuries and counting! Virat Kohli now has joint-most number of tons in One-Day Internationals, having equalled batting great Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 on Sunday. Kohli reached the milestone ton in his 277th innings, far quicker than Tendulkar's 438, smashing an unbeaten 101 against South Africa in a Cricket World Cup match at the Eden Gardens. Interestingly, Kohli equalled his idol and former teammate on his 35th birthday. As Kohli joined him at the top of the podium, Tendulkar hoped that the former India captain would go on to break the record in the coming days.
"Well played Virat. It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50 earlier this year. I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days. Congratulations!!," Tendulkar posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"Every opportunity to play for India is a big one, to be able to ton up on my birthday is a stuff of dreams," said Kohli whose century added to his ongoing total of over 26,000 international runs.
Kohli's 101 not out was the centrepiece of unbeaten tournament hosts India's 326-5 in their 50 overs.
"It is something you dream about as a child. I am just happy to help the team as much as possible," added Kohli.
Together with Shreyas Iyer (77) he shared a third-wicket partnership of 134 after India captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss on what turned out to be a tricky pitch.
"It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on. We got a great start. My job was to keep the momentum going when I got in," added Kohli.
(With AFP Inputs)