Virat Kohli played another record-breaking knock as he led India to victory in Match 17 of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Bangladesh on Thursday.
Kohli remained unbeaten on 103 off 97 balls with six fours and four maximums as India gunned down the target of 257 in 41.3 overs to register their fourth successive win of the tournament.
Records galore in Pune
Kohli also completed 26,000 runs in international cricket across formats during his knock to become the fourth batter to reach the landmark after Sachin Tendulkar (34,357), Kumar Sangakkar (28,016) and Ricky Ponting (27,483).
Kohli achieved the feat with a massive six against Hasan Mahmud in the 39th over of India's chase. He also became the first Indian batter to score over 1000 World Cup runs while batting at No.3.
His 48th ODI hundred was also his first in 8 years in ODI World Cups and third overall in the history of the tournament. Kohli needs just one more century to equal Tendulkar's world record of 49.
King Kohli adjudged Player of the Match
"I wanted to make a big contribution. I have had a few fifties in World Cups, haven't really converted. I just wanted to finish off the game this time around and hang around till the end which is what I have done over the years.
"It was a dream start for me, first four balls, two free-hits, a six and a four. Just calms you down gets you into the innings. The pitch was pretty good and allowed me to play my game - just time the ball, hit the gaps, run hard and get the boundary whenever needed," Kohli said after being adjudged Player of the Match.
Earlier in the day, India restricted Bangladesh to 256 for 8 after being put into bowl first in Pune. Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravindra Jadeja grabbed a couple of wickets each while Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur got one for India.
Litton Das top-scored for the visitors with 66 while fellow opener Tanzid Hasan made 51 while the experienced middle-order batters Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim contributed with 46 and 38 respectively for the visitors.
