 "World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli hopes to fulfill Sachin Tendulkar's wish by scoring his 50th ODI century soon")
Making his 35th birthday more special, Virat Kohli marked a historic moment after accomplishing his 49th ODI hundred at the Eden Gardens against South Africa in the ongoing ICC World Cup. Not just that, the former India captain also equalled the legendary Sachin Tendulkar for having the most one-day international hundreds. With this feat, Virat Kohli is now just a century away from becoming the batsman with the most centuries in ODI history. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table As a wave of happiness has swept across the nation, with fans extending congratulatory messages and best wishes for him, the Master Blaster himself also expressed his delight on social media. Also read: Virat Kohli has only equalled Sachin Tendulkar, but as an ODI batter he is unparalleled Joining cricket fans, celebrities, and even brands in the celebrations to commemorate the extraordinary milestone, the batting maestro congratulated Virat Kohli on his achievement and wrote on X, “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!!” As Tendulkar hopes that Virat Kohli soon go from 49 to 50, it seems Kohli is also hopeful to fulfil the veteran cricketer’s wish as a return gift to him. Virat Kohli on his 50th ODI century Acknowledging Sachin Tendulkar’s greatness and his wishes for his recent achievement, Kohli after the match expressed his emotions stating that “he would never be as good as Tendulkar and that The Master Blaster for him is perfection.” “To equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I know where I come from, I know the days when I have watched him on TV. Just to get that appreciation from him means a lot to me,” he further added.
Reacting to Tendulkar’s tweet and wishes for his 50th ODI century, Kohli said that he hopes to “do it a few more times in the tournament, especially in the semi-finals and final.” “I aspire to do the same thing because if I do that, it means that we have a good chance of winning. So I would do it a few more times in the tournament, especially the big ones - the semis and the finals. So yeah, fingers crossed. Hopefully I can do it,” he said. Speaking about India’s performance in the ongoing World Cup, the team has displayed quite an extraordinary game since Day 1. Now that the team has made it to the semifinals, India will play their last league stage match of ICC World Cup 2023 against the Netherlands on 12 November at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.