Virat Kohli breaks record of his idol
Only his idol Sachin Tendulkar and partner Anushka Sharma could truly celebrate global record of 50 ODI centuries of Virat Kohli . And as luck would have it, both were present when Kohli accomplished the once-impossible feat of surpassing Tendulkar’s record for the most hundreds in One-Day Internationals. Only four years into his international career, Tendulkar had just scored his 100th century when he backed Virat to eventually smash the record. When Kohli scrambled for two to reach the benchmark eleven years later, Sachin had the best seat in the house as the prophecy came true. Like a true fanboy, he dove into the dirt, took it all in, and honored the master.
What did Virat Kohli feel about his record
India amassed a staggering 397/4 thanks in large part to Kohli’s 117. With a second consecutive century, Shreyas Iyer contributed as well, but Kohli once again served as the anchor to help Iyer and Shubman Gill combine for 256 runs (Gill retired injured on 97). Following the end of the Indian innings, a weary but ecstatic Kohli spoke about the significance of the century and what it meant to surpass his idol.
“Well, I’m feeling (pauses). Again, the great man just congratulated me. It feels like a dream. Too good to be true. Big game for us and I played the role so that the guys around me can come and express themselves. As I said, for me the most important thing is to make my team win. I’ve been given a role this tournament and I’m trying to dig deep. That’s the key to consistency – play according to the situation and play for the team,” Kohli said while speaking to the host broadcaster.
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Reaction from Sachin and Anushka was…
Anushka flung her husband a flurry of kisses from the stand, if Sachin saw Kohli’s ultimate gesture of respect and returned the favor by sharing a golden message on X. In this World Cup, Kohli has scored three centuries, making a total of four, and the legendary player wouldn’t have it any other way. Tendulkar approached Kohli just as he was ready to speak and gave him a hug, capping off the ideal day for India’s man of the hour.
“It’s the stuff of dreams. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It’s very difficult for me to express it. My life partner, my hero – he’s sitting there. And all these fans at the Wankhede. To get to 400 is amazing; a lot of credit needs to go to Shreyas. KL finished it with a flurry [of boundaries],” said Kohli.
