WC2023: Kohli scores 49th century to scale Sachin Tendulkar's record.Indian batsman Virat Kohli achieved a historic milestone during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He equaled the record for the most ODI hundreds, reaching his 49th century, which is on par with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's achievement in 463 ODIs.
Kohli marked this remarkable feat on his 35th birthday, solidifying his status as one of the greats in the cricketing world. He reached this milestone during the 49th over of India's innings by taking a single off Kagiso Rabada's bowling.Kohli's journey to this record was punctuated by exceptional performances throughout the World Cup, making him only the third Indian, alongside Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, to surpass the 500-run mark in a single edition of the World Cup.
His road to the 49th century included notable innings, such as his elegant 85 against Australia in India's opening match, followed by his 48th hundred against Bangladesh. While he came close to achieving this feat on two previous occasions, with scores of 95 against New Zealand and 88 against Sri Lanka, he finally achieved it in his 289th ODI.
In comparison, Tendulkar reached his 49th hundred in his second-to-last ODI, marking the 462nd match of his illustrious career. Tendulkar's 100th international hundred remains a formidable record that is unlikely to be surpassed unless Kohli continues his exceptional form for several more years.