Happy Birthday Virat Kohli: Eyeing a ton, star batter chases Sachin's record against South Africa

He was a young rising star in 2011 when India lifted the World Cup but time flew thick and fast. He metamorphosed into a big name in world cricket over the span. He came close in 2015 and 2019 to achieve the feat while captaining the side, but the cup eluded the team.

Hyderabad: Virat Kohli, who turns 35 on November 5, must be more than eager to celebrate his day of birth with a scintillating knock which can be no less than a century against South Africa.

India which came up too tough for all opponents with an all-win performance in this Cricket World Cup looks to extend its victorious streak against the Proteas on Sunday. This time around, the timing of Kohli's birthday couldn't be more special.

This birthday is special for the star batter as like never before it coincided with the World Cup. Another significant factor is that Kohli will play against Jansens in front of a cricket-mad crowd in the iconic Eden Gardens. Kohli is considered as cornerstone of India's World Cup campaign as the team aims to bring the trophy home after a gap of 12 years.

Virat was a young rising star in 2011 when India lifted the World Cup. As time flew thick and fast, he metamorphosed himself into a big name in world cricket. He came close in 2015 and 2019 to achieve the feat while captaining the side, but the cup eluded the team.

Cut to 2023, Kohli looks in ominous form. His performance in the World Cup 2023 has been described as his best ever with a hundred, an unbeaten 103 against Bangladesh in Pune, and four fifties. The hundred against Bangladesh moved the 35-year-old one step closer to equalling a record set by Sachin Tendulkar.

Not the only record Kohli would be chasing this time at the World Cup, he also aims to be the first Indian player to win two World Cups.

Indian cricket has seen some of the biggest legends of the game wear the sky blue, but none of them have been able to win two ODI World Cups during their career. Even the glory eluded even Kapil Dev and Tendulkar, who were able to win one but Kohli had a chance to make it two.

So far, Kohli has scored 442 runs in seven innings in the World Cup. Apart from a one-off rare failure against England, Kohli has hardly failed with the bat in this World Cup.

Despite coming up with good knocks, he narrowly missed out on hundreds against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The moment Kohli got out against Sri Lanka for 88, silence quickly engulfed the Wankhede stadium. The fans in Mumbai were eagerly waiting to see the star batter match the tally of one of their favourite sons and an icon in the game. So far, Kohli has scored his 48 ODI hundreds against Bangladesh and his fans and well-wishers have predicted that he would break Sachin's record during the World Cup. Battling legend Sunil Gavaskar even predicted Kohli to score his 50th ODI hundred on his birthday.