Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim has lavished rich praise on Indian batter Virat Kohli after he scored his 45th ODI hundred in the first game against Sri Lanka. The former Indian selector said that Sachin Tendulkar would be the happiest if he broke his record of scoring the most ODI centuries.
Virat Kohli smashes his 45th ODI ton in the first game against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli set the stage on fire in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati. The right-hander played staggeringly well and smashed his 45th ODI ton, 73rd in internationals. His 45th century just makes him 4 hundreds away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries.
Asked to bat first, after openers Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70) gave their side a fiery start, Kohli made sure that he didn’t let the momentum change. Kohli played second fiddle to Rohit but once the skipper was back in the hut, he took matters into his own hand and made a mockery of the Sri Lankan bowling attack.
He crafted his innings well and reached his half-century in just 47 balls. He made a mockery of Sri Lanka’s bowling lineup and became the fastest to complete 12500 runs by innings in the history of ODIs and also went past Sachin Tendulkar to have the most centuries against Sri Lanka in ODIs.
A step in the right direction. Great win.🙌 pic.twitter.com/WKQK7LmVsJ
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 10, 2023
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He helped India put over 350 runs on the board. Kohli smashed his ton in just 80 balls and smashed 12 fours and 1 six in his innings and ended with a score of 113 runs in 87 balls. Not only Kohli smashed his 45th ODI century, but he also broke a couple of records created by Sachin Tendulkar.
He became the fastest batter to score 73 international centuries. The right-hander achieved the feat in 541 innings whereas Tendulkar did the same in 549 innings. Kohli also broke Tendulkar’s record of fastest to 45 ODI centuries. The 34-year-old achieved the best in 257 innings whereas Sachin did it in 424 innings.
“Sachin Tendulkar would be the happiest if Virat Kohli broke his record of scoring the most ODI centuries,” says Saba Karim
Following Virat Kohli’s ton in first ODI against Sri Lanka, many have backed him to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most centuries in a 50-over format. Saba Karim feels that if he achieves the feat, batting great would be the happiest. Speaking on India News Sports, he said:
“Sachin Tendulkar would be the happiest if Virat Kohli broke his record of scoring the most ODI centuries. With the kind of form that he is in, I think he is going to break that record very soon. I don’t think Kohli is playing for records at the moment. He aims to win the World Cup for Team India and is completely focused on that.”
Virat Kohli will be next seen in action during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Kolkata on Thursday (12th January).
