In a historic moment at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Virat Kohli achieved his record-breaking 50th ODI century during a World Cup semifinal 2023. Surrounded by the cheers of his family and childhood hero in the stands, Kohli solidified his status as the most prolific ODI centurion in cricket history.
At 35 years old, Virat Kohli, with one more ODI hundred than Tendulkar, described the circumstances of his record feat as akin to “painting the perfect picture.”
In an emotional reflection after scoring 117 off 113 against New Zealand, Virat Kohli shared, “Look, as I said, it’s the stuff of dreams. You know, Anushka [Sharma, his wife] was sitting right there, Sachin paaji was there in the stands. I mean, it’s very difficult for me to explain this but if I could paint the perfect picture, I would want this to be, you know, the picture. My life partner, the person I love the most, she’s sitting there. My hero, he’s sitting there. And you know, I was able to get to fifty [ODI hundreds] in front of all of them and all these fans in the Wankhede, a historic venue.”
Reflecting on the surreal moment, Virat Kohli shared, “The great man [Sachin Tendulkar] just congratulated me. It feels like a dream. It’s too good to be true, it feels surreal. I never thought I’d be here ever in my career, just to help the team so many times.”
Sachin Tendulkar conveyed his wishes on social media, stating, “I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage — in the World Cup semifinal — and at my home ground is the icing on the cake.” Kohli, acknowledging Tendulkar’s presence in the President’s Box along with celebrities like football legend David Beckham, saluted him after reaching the milestone.
In a heartfelt message, Sachin Tendulkar reminisced, saying, “The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player.”
Virat Kohli’s innings of 117 against New Zealand marked his third century of the ongoing World Cup, contributing significantly to India’s formidable total of 397 for 4 in the knockout match in Mumbai. Kohli reflected on his role as the anchor, a position assigned to him by the team management, not just in this innings but throughout the tournament.
In describing his approach during the crucial match, Kohli mentioned, “Again, a big game today, I had to kind of play the role that I’ve played throughout the tournament so that the guys around me can go and express themselves. Just that everything came together so nicely, and we have a great total on the board as well.”
Virat Kohli emphasized his commitment to team success, stating, “For me, the most important thing is to make my team win. And whatever it takes to do that, I’m ready to do that, whether it’s running singles and doubles, hitting boundaries, doing whatever the team wants me to do. I’ve been given a role in this tournament, and I’m trying to play that to the best of my abilities. I try to dig deep, bat long so that the others can, you know, kind of play around me and have that confidence that I’m going into the later overs when I can dominate with the bat as well. So that’s the only key to consistency, I guess, just playing according to the situation, playing for your team at all times.”
