'Hope you go from 49 to 50': Tendulkar lauds Kohli for record-equalling 49th ton

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday congratulated Virat Kohli for equalling his record of most ODI hundreds in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 league stage clash against South Africa at Kolkatas Eden GardensThe former India skipper got to the landmark in 119 balls including 10 fours at Kolkatas Eden Gardens It has taken him 277 innings to score 49 hundreds at this level compared to the 438 required by TendulkarAlso ReadVirat Kohli the most complete batsman in modern eraEvery opportunity to play for India is a big one to be able to ton up on my birthday is a stuff of dreams said Kohli whose century added to his ongoing total of over 26000 international runs Kohlis 101 not out was the centrepiece of unbeaten tournament hosts Indias 3265 in their 50 oversWell played Virat It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50 earlier this year I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days Congratulations posted Tendulkar on X formerly known as XWell played Virat It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50 earlier this year I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days CongratulationsINDvSA pictwittercomPVe4iXfGFkmdash Sachin Tendulkar sachin_rt November 5 2023In 34 matches Kohli has 1573 runs at an average of 5825 with four centuries and 10 fifties His best score is 107 Sachin 2278 runs is the highest scorer ever in WC history Sangakkara has 1532 runs in his WC careerNow in eight WC 2023 matches Kohli has scored 542 runs at an average of 10840 with two centuries and four fifties His best score is 103 He is the secondhighest rungetter in the tournament so farHe also continued his redhot form against South Africa in ODIs In the last 15 innings against SA in ODIs Kohli smashed 1091 runs at an average of over 109 with five centuries and five fiftiesBesides Kohli equalled compatriot and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkars record of 49 ODI tons on Sunday He is now just one century away from becoming the first player to smash 50 ODI centuries The century is also Kohlis 79th in international cricket Virat has smashed 49 centuries in ODIs 29 in Tests and one in T20Is His recordequalling ton came at the same ground where he scored his firstever international ton against Sri Lanka in 2009Also ReadDown the memory laneThe star batter has the secondhighest number of centuries in international cricket next to Tendulkars 100 centuries In bringing up his 49th ODI century Kohli also joined an elite company of batters who scored a century on their birthdays These elite members include Sachin himself Vinod Kambli Sanath Jayasuriya Ross Taylor Tom Latham and Mitchell Marsh119 balls is the jointmost balls Virat has taken for a century with his century against Pakistan in 2015 at Adelaide and against South Africa in 2018 in Cape Town coming in the same amount of ballsWith inputs from agencies