Virat Kohli became the first player to scored 52 centuries in any format of international cricket as he slammed 135 runs from 120 balls in the opening ODI of the series against South Africa on Sunday, November 30. Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s reaction after Kohli’s century and the hug between the two after his dismissal are both going viral on social media.
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As Kohli guided Marco Jansen’s delivery past the third man fence for a four to complete his century, the crowd in Ranchi went berserk to celebrate the moment. Gambhir and other members in the dressing room all stood up to celebrate the ton of the former Indian captain.
Kohli then quickly changed gears and went on a boundary-hitting spree before falling for 135. Kohli acknowledged the crowd’s applause by raising his bat as he walked back to the dressing room.
In the dressing room, cameras also captured a wholesome hug between Gambhir and Kohli. The two were seen sharing a side hug.
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Earlier, Kohli thrilled the Ranchi crowd with a knock where he mixed aggression and defence in equal measure. This was his third hundred at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in just five innings. The innings also saw the right-hander become the player with most centuries against South Africa in ODIs. He left behind Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner who both had five tons against the Proteas.
The innings was also important as it came after a lukewarm tour to Australia where in three ODIs he got out for Duck twice. However, in the last game, Kohli did score an unbeaten half-century. In Ranchi, he continued from where he left in Sydney.
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View AllApart from Kohli’s ton, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also scored half-centuries to take India to 349/8 in their 50 overs, which is the second highest score by the hosts against the Proteas.


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