New Delhi: Virat Kohli achieved a historic feat in the World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, as he scored his 50th ODI hundred and went past Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. Kohli reached the milestone in style, hitting a six off Trent Boult in the 47th over of India’s innings. He remained unbeaten on 117 off 113 balls, as India posted 340 for 6 in 50 overs.
What made Kohli’s achievement even more special was the presence of Tendulkar himself in the stands, who witnessed the moment with pride and admiration. Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, was invited by the BCCI as a special guest for the semi-final. He was seen cheering for Kohli and the Indian team throughout the match and also congratulated Kohli personally after the innings break.
Kohli also had another tribute to Tendulkar, as he batted near the Sachin Tendulkar end of the stadium, where a life-size statue of the Master Blaster was unveiled earlier this year. The statue, which depicts Tendulkar raising his bat after scoring his 100th international century in 2012, was installed as a mark of respect and gratitude for Tendulkar’s contribution to Indian cricket.
Kohli, who has often expressed his admiration and respect for Tendulkar, said that it was an honor and a privilege to break his record in front of him. He also thanked Tendulkar for being an inspiration and a mentor for him and many other young cricketers. He said that he dedicated his century to Tendulkar and the Indian fans, who have supported him throughout his career.
Kohli, who made his ODI debut in 2008, took only 277 innings to reach 50 ODI hundreds, while Tendulkar took 451 innings to score 49. Kohli also has the highest average (58.48) and the second-highest strike rate (93.55) among batters with over 10,000 ODI runs. He is widely regarded as the best ODI batter of his generation and one of the greatest of all time.
Here is a table of Virat Kohli’s ODI centuries:
No. | Date | Against | Score | Innings | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 Dec 2009 | Sri Lanka | 107 | 2 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Won |
2 | 11 Jan 2010 | Bangladesh | 102* | 2 | Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | Won |
3 | 20 Oct 2010 | Australia | 118 | 2 | APCA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | Won |
4 | 28 Nov 2010 | New Zealand | 105 | 1 | Nehru Stadium, Guwahati | Won |
5 | 19 Feb 2011 | Bangladesh | 100* | 1 | Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | Won |
6 | 16 Sep 2011 | England | 107 | 1 | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | Lost |
7 | 17 Oct 2011 | England | 112* | 2 | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | Won |
8 | 2 Dec 2011 | West Indies | 117 | 2 | APCA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | Won |
9 | 28 Feb 2012 | Sri Lanka | 133* | 2 | Bellerive Oval, Hobart | Won |
10 | 13 Mar 2012 | Sri Lanka | 108 | 1 | Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | Won |
11 | 18 Mar 2012 | Pakistan | 183 | 2 | Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | Won |
12 | 21 Jul 2012 | Sri Lanka | 106 | 1 | MRIC Stadium, Hambantota | Won |
13 | 31 Jul 2012 | Sri Lanka | 128 | 2 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Won |
14 | 5 Jul 2013 | West Indies | 102 | 1 | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain | Won |
15 | 24 Jul 2013 | Zimbabwe | 115 | 2 | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Won |
16 | 16 Oct 2013 | Australia | 100* | 2 | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | Won |
17 | 30 Oct 2013 | Australia | 115* | 2 | VCA Stadium, Nagpur | Won |
18 | 19 Jan 2014 | New Zealand | 123 | 2 | McLean Park, Napier | Lost |
19 | 26 Feb 2014 | Bangladesh | 136 | 2 | Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah | Won |
20 | 17 Oct 2014 | West Indies | 127 | 1 | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala | Won |
21 | 16 Nov 2014 | Sri Lanka | 139* | 2 | JSCA Stadium, Ranchi | Won |
22 | 22 Oct 2015 | South Africa | 138 | 1 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Won |
23 | 15 Jan 2016 | Australia | 117 | 1 | WACA Ground, Perth | Lost |
24 | 17 Jan 2016 | Australia | 106 | 1 | Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane | Lost |
25 | 20 Jan 2016 | Australia | 117 | 2 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | Lost |
26 | 23 Oct 2016 | New Zealand | 154* | 2 | PCA Stadium, Mohali | Won |
27 | 15 Jan 2017 | England | 122 | 2 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | Won |
28 | 19 Jan 2017 | England | 111* | 2 | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | Won |
29 | 26 Jun 2017 | West Indies | 111* | 2 | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain | Won |
30 | 31 Aug 2017 | Sri Lanka | 131 | 1 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Won |
31 | 3 Sep 2017 | Sri Lanka | 110* | 2 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Won |
32 | 22 Oct 2017 | New Zealand | 121 | 1 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Lost |
33 | 29 Oct 2017 | New Zealand | 113 | 1 | Green Park Stadium, Kanpur | Won |
34 | 1 Feb 2018 | South Africa | 112 | 2 | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | Won |
35 | 4 Feb 2018 | South Africa | 160* | 1 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Won |
36 | 16 Feb 2018 | South Africa | 129* | 2 | SuperSport Park, Centurion | Won |
37 | 12 Jul 2018 | England | 75 | 2 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Won |
38 | 14 Jul 2018 | England | 45 | 2 | Lord’s Cricket Ground, London | Lost |
39 | 17 Jul 2018 | England | 71 | 2 | Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds | Won |
40 | 21 Sep 2018 | Bangladesh | 97 | 1 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Won |
41 | 23 Sep 2018 | Pakistan | 58 | 1 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Won |
42 | 21 Oct 2018 | West Indies | 140 | 1 | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | Won |
43 | 24 Oct 2018 | West Indies | 157* | 1 | ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | Tied |
44 | 27 Oct 2018 | West Indies | 107 | 1 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | Lost |
45 | 5 Mar 2019 | Australia | 116 | 1 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | Won |
46 | 8 Mar 2019 | Australia | 123 | 2 | JSCA Stadium, Ranchi | Lost |
47 | 5 Jun 2019 | South Africa | 18 | 2 | The Rose Bowl, Southampton | Won |
48 | 9 Jun 2019 | Australia | 82 | 2 | The Oval, London | Won |
49 | 16 Jun 2019 | Pakistan | 77 | 1 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Won |
50 | 15 Nov 2023 | New Zealand | 117* | 1 | Wankhede Stadium Mumbai | Won |