Virat Kohli Hits Record 49th Ton on 35th Birthday in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team captain, made his 35th birthday one to remember by smashing his record-breaking 49th century during a thrilling ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens. The match showcased excellent form from the Indian batsmen, with an attacking start from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, followed by a brilliant century by Kohli and a blazing fifty from Shreyas Iyer. Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed some late blows, resulting in India finishing with a total over 300.
Although South Africa displayed a strong fight in the field, managing to plug the flow of runs during the middle overs, India began brightly and finished strongly. Kohli’s 49th ODI century now makes him the joint-highest century-maker in ODIs.
The Indian batters wasted no time in finding the boundaries, hitting eight fours within the first four overs, with Rohit Sharma contributing five of them. He followed up with an additional boundary and two impressive sixes off Lungi Ngidi in the next over, raising India’s momentum even further.
However, Rohit’s aggressive innings was brought to an end in the sixth over when he attempted to clear Kagiso Rabada around the mid-off region but was brilliantly caught by his counterpart, Temba Bavuma.
Undeterred by Rohit’s dismissal, Kohli, celebrating his 35th birthday, took to the crease and continued to play his shots. Shubman Gill fell victim to Keshav Maharaj’s excellent bowling, as Gill misjudged the delivery and had his off-stump trimmed. The introduction of spin by the South African bowlers restricted the Indian batsmen’s scoring opportunities, with Kohli and Iyer managing only three more boundaries after Gill’s wicket until the 25-over mark.
The 28th over saw Iyer hit a towering six off Tabraiz Shamsi, breaking the shackles and opening the floodgates for boundaries. With Iyer finding his rhythm, India’s run rate surged to over six an over. Kohli also picked up the pace, setting India up for a total in excess of 300.
However, Iyer’s dismissal in the 37th over slowed down India’s scoring rate. The death overs witnessed a closely contested battle as India looked to increase their scoring rate with aggressive stroke-play from Suryakumar Yadav (22 from 13 balls), while South Africa tried to restrain the flow of runs with tidy fielding.
Ravindra Jadeja’s powerful hits toward the end helped India reach a total of 326/5, with Kohli finishing unbeaten on 101 runs.
The toss in Kolkata was won by Rohit Sharma, who chose to bat first. Rohit acknowledged the good cricket shown by both teams in the tournament and anticipated an exciting contest. India fielded the same XI as in their previous match.
South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, also preferred batting first. The only change in their lineup saw Tabraiz Shamsi coming in for Gerald Coetzee.
India is the only undefeated team in the tournament so far, but they remain wary of South Africa’s strong performance since their upset victory against the Netherlands. While India has suffered the loss of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami’s superb form has provided a significant boost. Shami has taken 14 wickets at an astonishing average of 6.71, often proving to be a challenge for opposing batters.
South Africa’s main concern has been their performance while chasing, having lost a low-scoring match against the Netherlands but emerging victorious by a slim margin against Pakistan in their second game.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
In this thrilling encounter between India and South Africa, the fans witnessed Kohli’s exceptional milestone and his team’s determined performance to secure a commanding total. As the Cricket World Cup 2023 continues, cricket enthusiasts eagerly await the next exhilarating match.
