PremiumIND vs NZ: Sachin Tendulkar pens heartfelt note for Virat Kohli, says 'from being pranked to touch my feet to breaking my record'
Sachin Tendulkar, after giving a standing ovation and a warm embrace during the mid-innings presentation, expressed his admiration with a heartfelt note on social media.
Last Updated: 06.23 PM, Nov 15, 2023
A historic moment in the cricketing realm unfolded as Virat Kohli, often referred to as the King or even the Emperor, surpassed his cricketing idol Sachin Tendulkar's record by notching up 50 ODI centuries, exceeding the Master Blaster's 49 ODI tons. Tendulkar, after giving a standing ovation and a warm embrace during the mid-innings presentation, expressed his admiration with a heartfelt note on social media.
Sharing a photo of Kohli, Tendulkar wrote: "The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a 'Virat' player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup Semi-Final - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake. #INDvNZ".
Australian pacer Brett Lee also commented under the post and wrote, "Well said mate. Congratulations @virat.kohli".
In the showdown, Virat Kohli (117) and Shreyas Iyer (105) anchored a formidable batting display following an impressive opening by Rohit Sharma (47) and Shubman Gill (80). KL Rahul also made a valuable contribution with the bat, amassing 39 runs.
Notably, this marked the second occurrence of two individual centuries being scored in a World Cup knockout game. The previous instance occurred when Tillakaratne Dilshan (108*) and Upul Tharanga (102*) achieved the feat in Sri Lanka's 10-wicket victory during the 2011 quarterfinal against England at RPS, Colombo.