Indian batting legend Virat Kohli registered his 49th ODI century against South Africa in the 37th game of ICC World Cup 2023 at the Eden Garden in Kolkata on Sunday.
Kohli, who was also celebrating his 35th Birthday, delivered a sensational performance that enthralled the cricketing world.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf hailed Virat Kohli for his humbleness and revealed that the latter always responds to his texts.
"Virat Kohli is not only a great cricketer but also a very humble human being. We had a lot of interaction in the Asia Cup [2022] and T20 World Cup [2022]. He always replies to me whenever I text him. Islam teaches us humbleness and Kohli also meets everyone very humbly," Yousuf said on a local news channel.
Kohli's extraordinary century not only marked a historic milestone in his illustrious career but also drew a direct comparison with cricketing icon Tendulkar. Both now share the record for the most centuries in One Day Internationals (ODIs), each with 49 centuries. Kohli achieved this feat in 277 innings, while Sachin Tendulkar had accomplished it in 452 innings.
As the list of ODI centurions continues to expand, Rohit Sharma holds third place with 31 centuries in 251 innings, followed by Ricky Ponting with 30 centuries in 365 innings, and Sanath Jayasuriya with 28 centuries in 433 innings.
"We call him King Kohli and Virat Kohli proves it every time. He is king by every means. Talent, discipline and fitness allowed Kohli to equal the record of the great Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin is the all-time best but currently no one is better than Kohli in world cricket," he added.
Remember, India defeated South Africa by 243 runs. The Proteas were all out for 83 runs in a chase of 327.