Virat Kohli has equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49th one-day international century against South Africa at the Cricket World Cup.

In the World Cup match against South Africa in Kolkata, Kohli, who is 35 years old, achieved the milestone tonne in his 277th innings, a lot faster than Tendulkar’s 438 trips to the crease.

“Virat never played for records. They happened as he progressed,” Kohli’s biographer Vijay Lokapally told AFP.

“His batting skills and work ethic combined to create magic. Longevity leads to milestones and that is what Virat has inherited from stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar.”

Cricket-mad Indian and international fans have responded to Kohli with an emotion akin to what Tendulkar once experienced.

There is an overwhelming amount of Kohli’s number 18 jersey on Indian soil.

Comparisons to Tendulkar are evident given his more than 26,000 international runs and 79 centuries in three different formats, but Lokapally disputes this.

“He dislikes this comparison. He has his identity. Sachin Tendulkar has his. Their styles differ,” said Lokapally.

“Sachin has faced some ferocious bowlers. Virat has dominated too. Sachin is incomparable. If Virat is enjoying his cricket today it is because of the reputation Indian cricket acquired courtesy of Sachin Tendulkar.”

Former batsman Mohammad Kaif of India stated: “Virtut Kohli gets a hundred runs when he wants one.” So what if, when he batted, India only needed 169 to win? Few are as adept at run-making in ODIs as he is.”

India last lifted the Champions Trophy worldwide in 2013, and they had previously won the World Cup in 2011 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli talked about the feelings of playing at the 50-over showpiece. He and teammate Ravichandran Ashwin were members of the winning squad twelve years ago.

“Just the two of us from 2011,” the former captain said after reaching his 48th ODI century against Bangladesh in Pune earlier in the World Cup.

“It’s a special feeling playing at home, playing in front of all these people, we just want to make the most of it.”

Despite his frequent run-ins with controversy, Kohli—who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve—has never back down from a fight on the cricket pitch and is still one of the sport’s most well-liked players.

At Indian venues, fans still frequently invade the pitch to touch his feet and snap selfies.

According to analysts Sportico’s 2022 list, he is also extraordinarily wealthy, topping India’s list of highest-paid athletes with earnings of $33.9 million, primarily from brand endorsements.

After 2021, Kohli experienced a prolonged period of poor performance, failing to reach triple digits for more than a thousand days.

In late 2021, he resigned as T20 captain, and shortly after, he was fired as ODI captain.

After giving up captaining the Test team, Kohli discussed his mental health issues and how he had been “snappy” with his Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Kohli achieved his first century after a 1,020-day lapse, and he hasn’t looked back.

“He is literally exceptional in every role in his life,” Anushka posted on Instagram to mark her husband’s birthday.

Photo by Abhjit Adya/Shutterstock