- By Himanshu Badola
- Thu, 16 Nov 2023 04:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Virat Kohli 50th ODI Century: Virat Kohli etched his name in history books with yet another stellar record to his name as he smashed his 50th ODI century in the World Cup 2023 semi-final match against New Zealand on Wednesday.
Kohli has now the most centuries to his name in the ODI format history as he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's legendary tally of 49 ODI hundreds.
He reached the monumental achievement in front of Sachin himself who was present in the stands of his home ground Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and watched his successor going past his feat.
ALSO READ: India's Road To World Cup 2023 Final
While Kohli continues to impress with his batting masterclass in the ongoing tournament, former head coach Ravi Shastri believes that another massive record could be on the cards after Virat's exceptional achievement.
He said that it would be unwise to write off Virat Kohli from going past Sachin's record of 100 international hundreds.
"Who would have thought when Sachin Tendulkar got 100 hundreds that anyone would come close he's got 80, 80 international hundreds, 50 of them in the one-day game which makes him the highest. Unreal," Ravi Shastri told the ICC.
Virat, who has now 80 international hundreds to his name, got to his 50th ODI century in 291 matches as he received a standing ovation for his 117-run knock, helping India post a massive total of 397/4 in their 50 overs.
Virat Kohli had gotten to No. 49, 174 innings faster than Sachin Tendulkar and also broke his record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup.
Sachin had scored 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup, helping India to reach the finals whereas Virat already has amassed 711 runs in 10 matches and also has a match in hand.
"Nothing's impossible because such players, when they start reeling off hundreds, then they score them pretty quickly. His next 10 innings, you might see another five hundreds. You have three formats of the game and he's part of all those formats.
"To think that he still has three or four years of cricket ahead of him is simply mind-boggling," he added.
Shasti also mentioned that Virat has looked in control with his batting and has been taking his time to soak up the pressure in big and important matches.
Apart from Kohli's 50th ton, Shreyas Iyer also smashed a century while Mohammed Shami took seven wickets to help India clinch a 70-run victory over the Blackcaps to qualify for the final.
ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma Has Shown The Intent To Open Up The Game In The First 10 Overs, Says Aakash Chopra
"I have seen him come out in previous World Cups where he's like a cat on a hot tin roof. He wants to get on with it straight away. None of that sort here," Shastri added.
"He's taken his time, marked his guard, soaked the pressure, given himself time, and understood his role of batting deep in the innings. And he's just been wonderful."
Having already set the tournament on fire, Virat will look to finish in style with yet another effective performance and help India win the final to lift the trophy for which the Men in Blue have been waiting for the last 10 years.
India will face either Australia or South Africa in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.