He couldn't have scripted it any better. Twelve years after lifting Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after India's second ODI World Cup triumph, Virat Kohli stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the great man. Kohli equalled Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries during the India vs South Africa clash in the 2023 ODI World Cup on Sunday. And he did it on his 35th birthday, at the same ground where he scored his first ODI ton in 2009 - Eden Gardens. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard | Key Battles)
Tendulkar himself was quick to congratulate Kohli, and egged him on to break the record and go to 50 ODI centuries very soon. In a humorous post on X (formerly Twitter), Tendulkar wrote: "Well played Virat. It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50 earlier this year. I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days. Congratulations!!"
Former India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami also wished Kohli for the landmark, with the post: "A stunning century by the birthday king @ImVkohli matching Tendulkar’s record... the celebrations just doubled!". Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop too wrote a heartfelt post in appreciation of Kohli.
The entire cricket-loving community was waiting with bated breath for this moment to come, and when it finally did, there was eruption of joy and jubilation. Social media platforms were flooded with congratulatory and adulatory posts for Kohli, whose unbeaten ton (101 not out off 121 balls) took India to a strong total of 326/5 on a dry surface where the ball is gripping and turning a fair bit.
Union sport minister Anurag Thakur too took to X to congratulate Kohli. "Congratulations to Virat Kohli on matching the record for the most centuries in ODIs. A monumental achievement! Wishing him and Team Bharat 🇮🇳 continued success!," Thakur wrote.
Kohli's contemporary, former RCB teammate and modern great AB de Villers was at the ground to witness the milestone, and he congratulated Kohli soon after the innings ended. So did the 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar and 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Ravi Shastri, who were both on air for the game.
