Earlier in the tournament, Virat Kohli narrowly missed out on equalling Tendulkar on a couple of occasions.
India hammered South Africa by 243 runs in their Cricket World Cup match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Virat Kohli, on his 35th birthday, starred with an unbeaten century as India secured the top spot in the Cricket World Cup points table, with their final game of the stage on November 12 against Netherlands. Kohli hit an unbeaten 101 to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI centuries (49). Earlier in the tournament, Kohli narrowly missed out on equalling Tendulkar on a couple of occasions, getting out on scores of 95 and 88, respectively.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri suggested that just like Kohli, Tendulkar also had sleepless nights when he was chasing batting great Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test tons.
“It’s amazing. We are a country obsessed with records. We are obsessed with hundreds. And Sunny was the trendsetter. I remember when Sachin Tendulkar was chasing his 34th, it wasn’t easy. He had many sleepless nights, he would get out in the 70s and 80s. And it took a while, just like it has taken Virat Kohli,” Shastri said during the mid-innings show on Star Sports following Kohli’s record-equalling century.
Shastri hailed Kohli for his knock as it was not easy to bat on this track, especially with the ball gripping, but he soaked all the pressure and made sure that India post a strong total on the board.
“Today, it was a very calculated innings. He started off quick, when the ball was coming onto the bat. And when the ball started gripping, it wasn’t easy to pick the bowlers. So, he soaked the pressure, bid his time, and upped the ante,” he added.
India will take on Netherlands in their final group game on November 12.
