“We have a good chance of winning if I do that,” says Kohli, hoping to grant Tendulkar’s wish with the ideal “return gift.” Now that he has tied Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI centuries, Virat Kohli aims to live up to the batsman’s high standards.
If Virat Kohli’s 49th century in ODIs wasn’t enough to make his 35th birthday unforgettable, Sachin Tendulkar certainly added something extra. The world was eagerly awaiting Kohli’s match-up with the great Tendulkar, and at last, the moment arrived when Kohli hit a backfoot punch for a single, his fourth World Cup century and his first against South Africa.
“Congrats, Virat. Earlier this year, I went from 49 to 50 in 365 days. In the coming days, I hope you break my record and progress from 49 to 50. Glory to you, Tendulkar wrote on X.
After the game, Kohli, who had already acknowledged Sachin’s excellence during India’s 2011 World Cup victory with the famous ‘It’s time we hoisted him on our shoulders,’ said that Tendulkar would always be the best and that for him, The Master Blaster represents perfection.
It was a very touching experience for me. It’s strange for me to equal his record in ODIs because I grew up idolising him and watched him play before I ever started playing for India. I’m just thankful and feel blessed because I never would have imagined that I would have made it to this point. No matter what happens, he will always be my number one, as I stated in the post-match remarks,” remarked Kohli.
It gets a bit too much to be able to accept wishes and gifts on my birthday, so I’m much better in this situation where I’m not getting things but instead play well and make everyone happy. I’m content to play this way since I’ve never really been the type of guy who gets really pumped for his birthday. We prevailed, and everyone was pleased. A belated birthday present from me,” Kohli continued.
