IND vs SA: Virat Kohli gets his 49th ODI 100 on a tricky Kolkata pitch, equals Sachin Tendulkar's record on his birthday

In the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Virat Kohli achieved what everyone had been anticipating – a century. He displayed patience, assessed the bowlers, and adapted to the tricky pitch to reach his hundred, all on his 35th birthday. With this ton, he has now equalled the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's ODI century record of 49 tons.

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Scoring a century on birthday (ODIs): Taylor, Marsh and Kohli have done it in World Cup games.
Vinod Kambli 100* vs Eng Jaipur 1993 (21th birthday)
Sachin Tendulkar 134 vs Aus Sharjah 1998 (25)
Sanath Jayasuriya 130 vs Ind Karachi 2008 (39)
Ross Taylor 131* vs Pak Pallekele 2011 (27)
Tom Latham 140* vs Net Hamilton 2022 (30)
Mitchell Marsh 121 vs Pak Bengaluru 2023 (32)
Virat Kohli 100* vs SA Kolkata 2023 (35)

Most 100s in ODIs
49 Virat Kohli (277 innings)
49 Sachin Tendulkar (452)
31 Rohit Sharma (251)
30 Ricky Ponting (365)
28 Sanath Jayasuriya (433)

Fans flooded social media with praise for the Indian batsman's remarkable performance on a challenging pitch and extended their birthday wishes, celebrating not only Kohli's birthday but also his achievement, which draws a parallel to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's centuries.

Opting to bat first, Rohit played a brisk 24-ball innings, amassing 40 runs and forming a 62-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill (23). However, the Proteas made a strong comeback, reducing India to 105 for two after 15 overs. 

Shreyas Iyer contributed significantly with 77 runs off 87 balls, while KL Rahul managed just 8 runs from 17 balls. Suryakumar Yadav also made a valuable contribution with 22 runs off 14 balls. India concluded their innings with a total of 326 runs on the board in the allotted 50 overs, having lost only five wickets.