Virat Kohli notches his 49th ODI century
Virat Kohli notches his 49th ODI century: In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Virat Kohli achieves his 49th ODI century, equalling a significant record with Sachin Tendulkar.
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India’s Virat Kohli scored his 49th one-day international (ODI) hundred to equal compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s world record against South Africa in Kolkata on Sunday.
The former Indian captain, Virat Kohli on his 35th birthday achieved his 49th ODI century milestone in 277 ODI innings, which also includes 70 half-centuries. In ODI formats he scored over 13,000 runs.
India captain, Rohit Sharma, stands as the next player in line for the most ODI centuries, boasting an impressive total of 31 centuries to his name.
Kohli’s century, which took 119 balls to reach, equals the record for the most balls he has taken to achieve a century. This record was previously set in Adelaide in 2015 against Pakistan and in Cape Town in 2018 against South Africa.
This century also marks Kohli’s fifth ODI century against South Africa, putting him on par with the likes of Tendulkar and Warne, who have also achieved the same feat against South Africa.
ODI CENTURY LIST OF VIRAT KOHLI
| No. | Against | Run | Date | Venue |
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 107 | 24 December 2009 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 102* | 11 January 2010 | Dhaka |
| 3 | Australia | 118 | 20 October 2010 | Visakhapatnam |
| 4 | New Zealand | 105 | 28 November 2010 | Guwahati |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 100* | 19 February 2011 | Dhaka |
| 6 | England | 107 | 16 September 2011 | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff |
| 7 | England | 112* | 17 October 2011 | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 8 | West Indies | 117 | 2 December 2011 | Visakhapatnam |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 133* | 28 February 2012 | Bellerive Oval, Hobart |
| 10 | Sri Lanka | 108 | 13 March 2012 | Dhaka |
| 11 | Pakistan | 183 | 18 March 2012 | Dhaka |
| 12 | Sri Lanka | 106 | 21 July 2012 | Hambantota |
| 13 | Sri Lanka | 128* | 31 July 2012 | Colombo |
| 14 | West Indies | 102 | 5 July 2013 | Port of Spain |
| 15 | Zimbabwe | 115 | 24 July 2013 | Harare |
| 16 | Australia | 100 | 16 October 2013 | Jaipur |
| 17 | Australia | 115* | 30 October 2013 | Nagpur |
| 18 | New Zealand | 123 | 19 January 2014 | Napier |
| 19 | Bangladesh | 136 | 26 February 2014 | Fatullah |
| 20 | West Indies | 127 | 17 October 2014 | Dharamshala |
| 21 | Sri Lanka | 139* | 16 November 2014 | Ranchi |
| 22 | Pakistan | 107 | 15 February 2015 | Adelaide |
| 23 | South Africa | 138 | 22 October 2015 | Chennai |
| 24 | Australia | 117 | 17 January 2016 | Melbourne |
| 25 | Australia | 106 | 20 January 2016 | Canberra |
| 26 | New Zealand | 154* | 23 October 2016 | Mohali |
| 27 | England | 122 | 15 January 2017 | Pune |
| 28 | West Indies | 111* | 6 July 2017 | Kingston |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | 131 | 31 August 2017 | Colombo |
| 30 | Sri Lanka | 110* | 3 September 2017 | Colombo |
| 31 | New Zealand | 121 | 22 October 2017 | Mumbai |
| 32 | New Zealand | 113 | 29 October 2017 | Kanpur |
| 33 | South Africa | 112 | 1 February 2018 | Durban |
| 34 | South Africa | 160* | 7 February 2018 | Cape Town |
| 35 | South Africa | 129* | 16 February 2018 | Centurion |
| 36 | West Indies | 140 | 21 October 2018 | Guwahati |
| 37 | West Indies | 157* | 24 October 2018 | Visakhapatnam |
| 38 | West Indies | 107 | 27 October 2018 | Pune |
| 39 | Australia | 104 | 15 January 2019 | Adelaide |
| 40 | Australia | 116 | 5 March 2019 | Nagpur |
| 41 | Australia | 123 | 8 March 2019 | Ranchi |
| 42 | West Indies | 120 | 11 August 2019 | Port of Spain |
| 43 | West Indies | 114* | 14 August 2019 | Port of Spain |
| 44 | Bangladesh | 113 | 10 December 2022 | Chittagong |
| 45 | Sri Lanka | 113 | 10 January 2023 | Guwahati |
| 46 | Sri Lanka | 166* | 15 January 2023 | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 47 | Pakistan | 122* | 10 September 2023 | Colombo |
| 48 | Bangladesh | 103* | 19 October 2023 | Pune |
| 49 | South Africa | 101* | 5 November 2023 | Kolkata |
Tendulkar, who is the leading run-scorer in the ODI format, congratulated Kohli and said he wants his compatriot to break the record “in the next few days”.
Virat Kohli’s 1st ODI century also in Eden Gardens, Kolkata against Sri Lanka.
Kohli shared his thoughts on the significance of the game, especially since it fell on his birthday. He acknowledged the motivation to perform well against one of the toughest teams in the tournament and expressed gratitude for the support he received from the fans.
On Birthday scoring a century in ODIs
Vinod Kambli 100* vs Eng Jaipur (21th birthday) 1993
Sachin Tendulkar 134 vs Aus Sharjah (25) 1998
Sanath Jayasuriya 130 vs Ind Karachi (39) 2008
Ross Taylor 131* vs Pak Pallekele (27) 2011
Tom Latham 140* vs Net Hamilton (30) 2022
Mitchell Marsh 121 vs Pak Bengaluru (32) 2023
Virat Kohli 100* vs SA Kolkata (35) 2023
He also discussed the impact of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, particularly in setting the tone on a challenging wicket. Kohli acknowledged the contribution of the bowlers and humorously mentioned how lucky he and Rohit are not to face their own formidable bowling attack.
Most 100s in ODI (One Day International)
49 Virat Kohli (277 innings)
49 Sachin Tendulkar (452)
31 Rohit Sharma (251)
30 Ricky Ponting (365)
28 Sanath Jayasuriya (433)
Additionally, Kohli expressed his emotions about equaling Sachin Tendulkar’s record and the appreciation he received from his hero, which meant a lot to him.
Kohli played a pivotal role as the top run-scorer for India, helping them set a target of 327 runs for South Africa in their high-stakes encounter. He composed a gritty innings of 101 runs from 127 balls, featuring 10 well-placed fours, all while contending with a turning pitch and scorching weather.
The spectators at Eden Gardens enthusiastically rose to their feet when Kohli crossed the 90-run mark, and the crowd cheered for every run thereafter. As he took strike with 99 runs to his name, the predominantly Indian crowd erupted with joy, capturing the iconic moment with thousands of flashing cameras.