Virat Kohli had a wry smile, mixed with a hint of disappointment when he holed out in the deep just five runs short of what would have been a record 49th ODI century in the World Cup match against New Zealand at Dharamsala recently. The 20,000-odd fans at the picturesque, high-altitude venue were equally disappointed that their batting hero could not achieve a special high that would place him equal to Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record for 49 ODI tons.

However, as fate would have it, Kohli now has the opportunity to equal Tendulkar’s feat in the great man’s own backyard when Team India take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.