Virat Kohli becomes 3rd Indian batsman to hit ODI century on birthday

Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI century against South Africa on his 35th birthday.

India’s chase master Virat Kohli has been on a record-breaking spree with his 101* in 121 balls against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kohli smashed his 49th ODI ton and equaled master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Virat has now become the joint highest century scorer in ODIs and is just one away from smashing the world record. Kohli is celebrating his 35th birthday on Sunday.

Virat Kohli, with a century on his birthday, has become the third Indian batter to score a ton on a special day. Kohli has joined the elite list of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, who scored centuries on their birthdays. No other batter than these three went on to make their birthday special with a ton for India in ODIs. Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) had also planned a grand celebration for Virat’s birthday.

Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar are the two other Indians

Vinod Kambli was the first batter to hit a century on his birthday (18 January). Left-hand batter Kambli scored an unbeaten 100 against England at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in 1993. Later on, Sachin Tendulkar became the second Indian batter to score a hundred on his birthday (24th April). Sachin went on to play a magical knock of 134 runs against Australia in Sharjah on his 25th birthday in 1998. This innings is also regarded as one of the best by the master.

Legends like Sanath Jayasuriya and Ross Taylor are also on this list. Virat Kohli is the 3rd Indian and 7th overall batter to have scored a century on his birthday. Along with Vinod Kambli, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, former Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya (2008 vs Bangladesh), former Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor (2011 vs Pakistan), Tom Latham (2022 vs Netherlands), and Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (2023 vs Pakistan) are on this list.

Virat Kohli has also completed 6,000 ODI runs on Indian soil and became the second batter to do so. Sachin Tendulkar is leading the chart with 6976 runs. He has also overtaken Kumar Sangakkara to become the third-leading run-scorer in the World Cup. Virat Kohli completed his 49th century in 118 balls hitting only 10 fours during his innings. Team India defeated South Africa by 243 runs.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.