Virat Kohli, with his record 50th ODI century, surpassed the record of the most ODI centuries of the great Sachin Tendulkar in his attendance at the Wankhede Stadium during the high voltage semi-final game against New Zealand, in which India emerged as the winner by 70 runs.
Kohli entered the ground in the ninth over and stayed in the middle till the 44th over. Playing an energetic and anchoring innings, Kohli scored 117 off 113 runs, entering into long partnerships with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. In a gesture of his record-breaking innings, Kohli bowed down in front of Sachin Tendulkar, someone who has inspired generations of young cricketers across the world.
The dressing room incident
Sachin recalled the earliest days of Kohli when Kohli shared the dressing room for the first time with him. Kohli was pranked by his fellow teammates to touch his feet and seek Sachin’s blessings, which burst Sachin into laughter. Sachin added that Virat soon touched his heart and has turned into a “Virat” player. He is proud that an Indian broke his record, that too in a high-pressure World Cup semi-final game in his home ground.
Sachin’s post on X read, ”The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player.
I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage – in the World Cup Semi-final – and at my home ground is the icing on the cake. #INDvNZ”
Shami-final
Sachin Tendulkar didn’t shy away from praising Mohd Shami, the hero with the ball for India. He punned the Semi-final into Shami-final, accrediting the dominating performance of Shami who dismantled the top order and broke the crucial partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson. Shami wrapped up the innings with a ball to spare, ending seven for 57, including the wickets of the top five batsmen of the opponent.
Sachin posted, “What a Shami-final!!!!!! Well done India for a superb batting display and a spectacular bowling performance to get into the final. #INDvNZ”