On Sunday, Virat Kohli gave himself a birthday present to remember by leading his side to a decisive victory against South Africa in the current World Cup 2023. With his 49th ODI century, Kohli matched the record for most hundreds in the history of the competition.
Kohli was fast off the mark on a difficult Eden Gardens pitch, but he dropped anchor and batted till the end to lead his side to a commanding 326/5 in 50 overs after realizing that the surface had slowed down. He was still undefeated on 101.
In addition, Kohli was selected as the game’s player of the match after his heroics.
Following India’s 243-run victory in Kolkata, a video has surfaced showing the star batsman for India interacting with the local ground crew and taking photographs with them.
India had more than one star on the evening besides Kohli. The middle overs were driven by an impressive performance of 77 off 87 by Shreyas Iyer.
After that, it was the Indian bowlers’ time to terrorize South Africa, as Mohammed Siraj dismissed prolific opener Quinton de Kock for five in the innings’ second over.
With two wickets, Mohammed Shami maintained his incredible form, but Ravindra Jadeja stole the show with a five-wicket haul, making history as the second Indian spinner to do so in a world cup match, following Yuvraj Singh.
After the game, Kohli said, “It was a big game, probably playing the toughest team in the tournament.” “There was an incentive to do well. It became more meaningful since it was my birthday, and the folks who shared it with me enhanced its significance.
India will end the league stage at the top of the world cup points table after to their eighth straight victory. Next up for them is a match against the Netherlands in Bengaluru on November 12.
