Virat Kohli equals Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI record with century against South Africa

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In a vital group stage match against South Africa in Kolkata, Virat Kohli matched the record for the most centuries achieved in one day internationals, which was previously held by Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. He now has the same number of centuries as Tendulkar, which is 49. Kohli's achievement came as India scored a total of 326-5 in the game, where they were the hosts of the Cricket World Cup.

Kohli celebrated his 35th birthday by coming to bat in the sixth over with the score at 62-1 after Rohit Sharma's dismissal. The pitch was challenging and slowed down as the Indian team played their innings. However, Kohli expertly placed the ball and ran between the wickets quickly to lead the team through the middle overs, even as wickets kept falling at the other end.

In the last 10 overs of the game, he started to go faster and reached his hundred in 119 deliveries by hitting a single off Kagiso Rabada in the 48th over, which helped India surpass 300 runs. He managed to achieve this feat in just 277 innings, whereas Tendulkar took 452 knocks to reach his 49th century.

The highly talented Indian batsman concluded the match with an outstanding score of 101, having already exceeded the record set by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara to now rank as the third-highest scorer in all ICC World Cups. The stadium, Eden Gardens, was filled with jubilation as he achieved this noteworthy feat.

In Kolkata, Virat Kohli completed his 49th ODI by scoring 101 runs while facing 119 balls.

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For some time now, Kohli has been working towards breaking a record. Unfortunately, during last week's match against Sri Lanka at Mumbai's Wankhade Stadium, he was forced to leave the field with a score of 88. This comes after a previous attempt where he scored 95 while chasing against New Zealand in Dharamsala.

During the mid-point of the game, the individual who is 35 years old provided an interview discussing his century that matched a record. He referred to it as an occurrence that was similar to that of a dream.

He expressed, "Each chance to represent India is significant, and playing on my special day in front of an immense audience is the ultimate fantasy. It's something you fantasize about throughout your childhood. My greatest happiness lies in assisting the squad in any way I can."

Kohli stated: "The pitch was quite challenging to bat on. However, we managed to get off to a good start and my responsibility was to maintain the momentum once I came in. As the match progressed, the pitch began to slow down and the ball was difficult to hit. Therefore, my role changed accordingly. Our goal is to establish a significant partnership that lasts until the end of the game."

We never anticipated reaching a score of 326, but when you push yourself and give your all until the very end of the game, anything can happen.

Before the Asia Cup, Shreyas Iyer and I had many sessions of practice. We agreed that we would be the ones to take charge during the middle overs. We feel at ease swapping positions against the spin bowlers and hitting the easy balls, so he deserves some recognition for his skill.

The performance was exceptional as it was difficult to acquire during the middle overs. We had to put in a lot of effort but managed to make a few crucial moves, causing the pressure to increase. It's imperative that we make a strong start with the new ball.