Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was one of the first to wish Virat Kohli after he equalled the cricket legend's record for the most ODI hundreds during India's clash against South Africa at the ICC World Cup 2023.
Kohli matched the world record set by Tendulkar during his unbeaten 101 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
What made the milestone even special is that Kohli got it on his 35th birthday today. And he also equalled Tendulkar's record for scoring over 6000 ODI runs in a single country. Both legends achieved the feat in India.
But Kohli hit his 49th ODI hundred in his 289th match, 173 matches faster than his idol Tendulkar.
Tendulkar now cannot wait for his record to be broken by Kohli and also wished him to do it quickly in this tournament.
"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!!" Tendulkar posted on Instragram.
Record staying in India
Just a few days ago, Tendulkar had said that he was happy that the record he set during his playing career was going to stay in India as Kohli was nearing the landmark.
"The 49 ODI hundreds record is not my record, it's India's record. As long as it stays with India, I am happy," Tendulkar said at the mid-innings break when India took on Sri Lanka in their last game.
Kohli's century and Shreyas Iyer's quickfire 77 helped India post 326 for 5 in 50 overs after Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow pitch in Kolkata.
Rohit himself contributed with a 24-ball 40 that included six fours and a couple of maximums.
Kohli reacts on his 49th ODI hundred
"I'm grateful to god for giving me the chance to play and contribute to the team's success. It's great to get a hundred on my birthday in front of this big crowd at this great venue.
"The pitch is on the slower side, we have a quality bowling line-up as well, but we'll have to work hard. Wickets will be the key, getting a couple early will put them under pressure with the way this pitch is behaving," Kohli said at the mid-innings break.
