Virat Kohli produced yet another One Day International century as he helped India to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday, breaking India legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the fastest batter in the history of the game to score 26,000 international runs.
Prior to this match, Kohli had 25,923 runs from 566 innings across 510 matches, and he attained this milestone in spectacular fashion by smashing a six during the World Cup encounter against Bangladesh in Pune.
Kohli’s 48th ton in the format means he could yet overtake his compatriot’s all-time record of 49 during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
And nobody else in the history of the game comes close to matching the pair’s century numbers, with Rohit Sharma third in the all-time list with 31.
The Indian cricket icon has undeniably left his mark on the ongoing tournament with impressive batting performances. He scored 85 in a crucial match against Australia and followed it up with an unbeaten innings of 55 against Afghanistan. And now Kohli (103*) hit a fine century against Bangladesh – his 48th ODI ton. These stellar displays underline his ability to thrive under pressure and provide a substantial contribution to his team’s success.
“I wanted to make a big contribution,” player-of-the-match Kohli, glistening with sweat, said after scoring his third 50-plus score of the tournament in four innings.
“I’ve had a few fifties in World Cups and haven’t converted them so I just wanted to finish the game off this time around and hang around to the end, which is what I’ve done over the years for the team.”
