New Delhi: King Kohli notched up his historic 50th ODI ton as the great Sachin Tendulkar applauded from the President’s Box, acknowledging the fall of his long-standing record and giving a standing ovation to the bow by the man of the moment.
The hard-earned world order-altering century came in the grandest of moments – in the first semifinal of the 2023 World Cup – and much like the little master, he too got into the nervous nineties syndrome for a bit but crossed the Rubicon in 126 balls, 148 minutes, eight boundaries and a six.
The century, the third in this edition of the World Cup for Kohli, both reaching and creating landmarks, came on the props of tenacity and perseverance, ideals that have become hallmarks of his batting acumen. In the process, he also broke his hero Tendulkar’s record of the highest World Cup runs at 693 to amass 711 all his own.
“Well, I'm feeling (pauses). Again, the great man just congratulated me. It feels like a dream. Too good to be true. Big game for us and I played the role so that the guys around me can come and express themselves. As I said, for me the most important thing is to make my team win. I've been given a role this tournament and I'm trying to dig deep. That's the key to consistency - play according to the situation and play for the team. It's the stuff of dreams. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It's very difficult for me to express it. My life partner, my hero - he's sitting there. And all these fans at the Wankhede. To get to 400 is amazing; a lot of credit needs to go to Shreyas. KL finished it with a flurry [of boundaries],” he gushed at a post-match speech.
Indeed, an iconic feat at an iconic venue, where India won its first World Cup 12 years ago. The Wankhede, too, bowed, in obeisance as the King walked back at 117. The grand master acknowledged the achievement with a tweet that spoke of his first memory of his ardent follower Kohli. “The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched
my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup Semi-final - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake,” Tendulkar tweeted. Kohli’s 48th century against Bangladesh and 49th against South Africa in this edition of the World Cup were also marvels of persistence and solidity. He has now cemented his role of being the Mr Consistent anchor at No. 3, exploiting the momentums given by a fiery Sharma and completing his assignment with persistence worthy of a warrior of distinction.
The 50th ton spoke of caution and vigour, studiously negating flair, audacity and danger to accord it the rare solid wall of maturity and a sense of responsibility – that of maintaining the team innings while getting to the target. Kohli reached Mount 50 in 279 innings while Sachin Tendulkar got 49 in 452. Rohit Sharma is way away with 31 and Ricky Ponting at 30. From here, King Kohli can only look down and try to search for a competitor that is not in sight for now. Or he can set sight on 20 more to match the 100x100 of the grand master.
Kohli constructed this 100 with a mix of rotation singles, well-placed twos and grounded boundaries. As many as 62 runs came in singles and twos which speaks highly of patience and mindfulness. Despite the almost cruel fitness regime that Kohli has become famous for, he cramped severely bringing back to his earlier statement that he needs to do more to build up physical tenacity to match his mental toughness.
At 35 and 10 days, his age may not allow him to be in another World Cup but the feat he has achieved will power him to bigger and more challenging frontiers that may not reach his master’s 100 but will, definitely, come close.
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