Run machine Virat Kohli broke his semi-final curse on Wednesday at the most prestigious venue in history, surpassing his hero Sachin Tendulkar with a brilliant century against Kane Williamson's New Zealand. Kohli broke Tendulkar's triple records in one innings during the first semi-final of the ICC event, continuing his incredible run in the 2023 World Cup. India had a strong start batting first in the replay of the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, with skipper Rohit Sharma controlling the Kiwi pacers in the powerplay.
But the Indian captain ended his entertaining 47 off 29 balls in the eighth over, stopping Rohit in his tracks. Assuming the position of an anchor, top batsman Virat Kohli continued the habit of making the most of the starts provided by openers Shubman Gill and Rohit, scoring an incredible half-century in 59 balls against the Black Caps.
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In the 2023 World Cup, Kohli eclipsed Tendulkar with a career-best eight fifty-plus scores. Master Blaster Tendulkar scored seven half-centuries during the World Cup in 2003. In ten innings, Kohli—who has eight World Cup scores of 50 or more—achieved the legendary mark. At the 2003 World Cup, Tendulkar had reached the same milestone in 11 innings.
Following his 72nd half-century in One Day Internationals, Kohli turned his attention to surpassing Tendulkar's enormous mark at the 2023 World Cup. After sharing a 93-run partnership with Gill, who was subsequently declared injured in the 23rd over, Kohli paired with a brilliant Shreyas Iyer to put India in position to score a big score at the Wankhede Stadium. In the 33rd over, Kohli broke Tendulkar's record for the longest World Cup by reaching the 80s.
Tendulkar's World Cup record broken after 20 years!
When Kohli comfortably singled off Glenn Phillips on the third delivery of the 33rd over, the crowd cheered the most. At the 2023 World Cup, the former captain of India easily defeated Tendulkar with a score of around 674 runs. In the 2003 World Cup, where Sourav Ganguly's India advanced to the ICC competition final, The Little Master scored 673 runs. In the 36th over, after smashing Tendulkar's double records, Kohli reached the anxious nineties.
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In the first World Cup semi-final, Kohli, who handed himself a record-equalling century against South Africa on his 35th birthday, hammered home his century No. 50 to surpass Tendulkar for the third time. Kohli has hit more hundreds than any other player in ODI cricket history. After the 2011 World Cup final, batting icon Tendulkar was carried on the shoulders of a young Kohli and scored century No. 49 in his 451st ODI innings. Former captain of India, Virat Kohli, became the first player to hammer 50 ODI hundreds in the 41st over of the Indian innings, twelve years after Sachin's World Cup swansong. In his 279th innings, the daring hitter has smashed 50 tonnes in one-day cricket.
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At 117 off 113 balls, the 35-year-old was removed from the game. In the history of the ODI World Cup semi-finals, Kohli also holds the record for greatest individual score. Speaking of Kohli's incredible run in the 50-over match, the batting virtuoso also increased his lead in the ICC World Cup 2023 batting statistics above Quinton De Kock, Rachin Ravindra, Rohit, and David Warner. The seasoned Indian hitter is the top run scorer in the ICC World Cup 2023, averaging above 100. In the 2023 World Cup, Kohli is also the first hitter to reach the 700-run milestone. At the 2023 World Cup, the Team India talisman has smashed three century and six half-centuries.
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