Virat Kohli zooms past Sachin Tendulkar for sensational feat with 48th century, one short of equalling Master Blaster
Virat Kohli struck a fantastic century on Thursday during India’s 2023 World Cup opener against Bangladesh. Virat Kohli, the premier batsman for India, once again displayed his unmatched power by hitting his 48th century in ODIs during the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh. One can detect a shift in Kohli’s thinking as he sets his sights on that magical three-figure mark as India maintains its dominance with a fourth straight victory in the competition.
As he has done throughout his stellar career, Kohli had been progressively edging closer to perfection ever since entering the crease in the match’s 13th over. India only needed to score 19 runs to win, and Kohli only needed three more runs to reach his century as he started his pursuit of the elusive mark. In the match’s final overs, Kohli consistently refused singles and teamed up with non-striker KL Rahul, who was on his own mission, for assistance.
As he got more aggressive and concentrated on hitting the boundaries, Kohli ran between the wickets and took calculated risks. Nevertheless, a dramatic touch is necessary for every Kohli innings. Kohli hit a thunderous six off Nasum Ahmed in the final over, giving India a commanding victory and moving closer to Pune’s three-digit milestone. India needed two runs to win and three runs for his century.
Naturally, as Kohli once more demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the all-time greats of One Day Internationals, the audience erupted in jubilation. With his 48th century, Kohli has put himself within striking reach of Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record for the most hundreds in ODIs with 49. Overall, Kohli scored his 78th international century, solidifying his place among the game’s all-time greats. On the list of all-time leading run scorers in international cricket, he now ranks slightly behind Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 runs), Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs), and Ricky Ponting (27,483 runs).
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Kohli completed the feat in just 567 innings, 13 fewer than Sachin Tendulkar to reach 26000 international runs. Here is the complete list of the fastest players to complete 26000 runs.
567 – Virat Kohli*
600 – Sachin Tendulkar
624 – Ricky Ponting
625 – Kumar Sangakkara
In the ongoing match against Bangladesh, Virat scored his 48th ODI hundred and is just one century away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Kohli scored an unbeaten 103 (97), which featured six fours and four sixes.
In 567 innings, Virat has 26,000 runs, which features 78 centuries and 135 fifties.
But this evening’s labor wasn’t only focused on that elusive goal. While Kohli is only two hundreds away from the prestigious 50th century, he also accomplished another outstanding milestone throughout his innings. He achieved 26,000 international runs in international cricket at the fastest rate. Kohli hit this milestone in his 567th international innings and now has 26,026 runs overall in international cricket. He is only 34 innings behind the legendary Tendulkar, who played 601 innings in his stellar career.
