Virat Kohli broke yet another world record on Wednesday as he became the first batter in ODI history to score 50 hundreds in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Kohli had equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 tons in the format in India's penultimate league game against South Africa when he scored 101 not out in a winning cause.
And now he's gone past the Master Blaster with 50 centuries in one-day internationals.
Virat Kohli's last 18 World Cup innings:
82 (77), 77 (65), 67 (63), 82 (82), 66 (76), 26 (27), 34* (41), 1 (6), 85 (116), 54* (56), 16 (18), 103* (97), 95 (104), 0 (9), 88 (94), 101* (121), 51 (56), 117 (113).
King goes past the God
Kohli also broke Tendulkar's World Cup record of scoring 673 runs in a single edition.
Tendulkar had managed the feat during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the record stood for two decades before Kohli broke it in the city where his idol was born and brought up.
Kohli bowed down in front of Tendulkar after reaching triple figures at the iconic venue where the Master Blaster grew up and played all his cricket during the formative years.
Records galore in Mumbai
The century against the Black Caps is Kohli's third in this World Cup after South Africa and Bangladesh in the league stage. This is also Kohli's first hundred in a World Cup knockout match.
The 35-year-old is now level on five ODI World Cup hundreds along with Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara. Only Rohit Sharma (7), Sachin Tendulkar (6) and David Warner (6) are ahead of him now.
Kohli came to the crease after a superb opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The Indian captain smashed 47 off 24 balls while Gill had to retire hurt on 79 after suffering from cramps in the Mumbai heat.
The Men in Blue are chasing their first World Cup final appearance after 2011 and looking to break the semi-final jinx against New Zealand, who had defeated India at the same stage in the 2019 edition in Manchester.
