Virat Kohli, India's superstar batter, once again showcased his immense prowess by smashing his 48th century in ODIs during the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh. As India appeared well on their way to a fourth consecutive victory in the tournament, one could sense Kohli's mindset shifting, as he set his sights on that magical three-figure mark. After all, Kohli had paced his innings to near-perfection – as he has done all through his career – since arriving at the crease in the 13th over of the game.
As India required just 19 runs to win and Kohli needing exactly as many to reach his century, the iconic batsman embarked on his chase for the hundred. In the final couple of overs oof the match, Kohli repeatedly denied singles, and KL Rahul, the non-striker, was equally collaborative in the 34-year-old's quest. Kohli's approach became more aggressive, focusing on finding boundaries and relying less on running between the wickets to reach his milestone.
Yet, no Kohli innings is truly complete without his immaculate ability to convert ones into twos. During the penultimate over, Kohli thrilled the crowd with two quick twos – a testament to his incredible fitness and determination.
Kohli's relentless pursuit of excellence culminated in the most dramatic fashion. With just two run needed for the victory and three for his century, Kohli smashed a sensational six against Nasum Ahmed, not only securing India a resounding win but also reaching a magnificent century in Pune.
The crowd, naturally, erupted in joy as Kohli once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the greatest ODI batters of all time. With his 48th century, Kohli inched further closer to Tendulkar, who holds the record for most centuries in ODIs (49).
But it wasn't the only milestone for the India star. Kohli also went past Jayawardene to become the all-time fourth top-scorer in international cricket during his innings against Bangladesh.
He is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 runs), Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) and Ricky Ponting (27,483 runs) in this elite list. Kohli also overtook Brian Lara and Rohit Sharma to become the fourth highest scorer in the history of ODI World Cups. He is now behind Sachin Tendulkar (2278 runs), Ricky Ponting (1743 runs) and Kumar Sangakkara (1531 runs) in ODI World Cups.
(With inputs from agencies)