Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was mercilessly trolled by fans after India talisman Virat Kohli scored his 45th ODI ton against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday. Taking an aim at Babar Azam, Team India supporters castigated the premier Pakistan batter by labeling him “Zimbabar” on social media.

The 28-year-old Pakistani cricketer has been accused of scoring truckloads of runs on placid pitches in his home country, which former players like Simon Doull have publicly described as “roads” in recent days.

Moreover, yet another allegation that has come Babar Azam's way is that he only plays for records and not for victories, earning him the moniker of “Zimbabar”. Last month, even Pakistani cricket admirers were seen mocking him with “Zimbabar” chants inside the stadium during Pakistan's Test match against England.

 

On Tuesday, Virat Kohli broke a series of Sachin Tendulkar records on his way to his 45th century against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.

Among the major Sachin Tendulkar world records, Virat Kohli shattered during his sensational innings against Lankan Lions was to become the fastest to reach 45 hundreds and 12,500 runs in One-Day Internationals.

While Sachin Tendulkar needed 424 innings to complete 45 tons in ODIs, the Delhi-born batter only required 257 knocks to get there. Additionally, Virat Kohli achieved 12,500 runs in 257 ODI innings, ahead of the Little Master who did it in 310.

Virat Kohli also has the most centuries in international cricket as a non-opener.

Besides the above-mentioned milestones, he became the first man to score at least nine centuries against two different teams in ODI cricket.

Previously, both Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar had 9 tons each against West Indies and Australia respectively. The legendary cricketers had collected 8 hundreds each against Sri Lanka as well. But with his century against Dasun Shanaka and his men, Virat Kohli now stands alone in the list with 9 centuries against both Sri Lanka and West Indies.

The 34-year-old matched Sachin Tendulkar's record of making the most number of centuries on home soil as well. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli now have 20 tons each in India.

The number of knocks Virat Kohli took to reach there though was far less compared to Sachin Tendulkar. While Little Master needed 160 innings to hit 20 centuries in ODIs at home, the India No.3 accomplished the feat in only 99 knocks.

Virat Kohli came out at the crease after captain Rohit Sharma and his opening partner Shubman Gill gave India a blistering start with both men making fifties. The youngster Shubman Gill was the first to fall after scoring a quickfire 70 off 60 balls. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, looked good to hit a hundred but played on to be dismissed for 83 off 67 deliveries.

Virat Kohli started his knock with a couple of straight drives down the ground. Once Rohit Sharma left, the Delhi-born cricketer played the sheet anchor's role to perfection as he took singles and doubles and struck an odd boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking.

But once India neared the 300-run mark, Virat Kohli upped the tempo and subsequently brought up his 45th hundred in the 50-over format. It was the 34-year-old's second successive century in ODIs after he ended a three-year wait for a ton in the second shortest version of the game in Bangladesh last year.

After failing to cross the hundred-run mark in over a thousand days, Virat Kohli has now made three tons in the last 4 months, beginning with his maiden T20I century against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in the UAE in September.

It was also Kohli's 73 ton in international cricket. He's only behind Sachin Tendulkar in terms of international hundreds. Tendulkar is the only cricketer to smash 100 centuries – 49 in ODIs and 51 in Tests.

With Virat Kohli achieving so many milestones against Sri Lanka, a section of his fans declared that Babar Azam would soon lose his No.1 ranking in ODIs as the Indian batter will topple him from there.

On the other hand, former India opener Wasim Jaffer argued that the former India captain will now turn into a beast like he was a couple of years as he appeared to be back at his best.

“Sher ke muh khoon lag gaya hai. Is saal bohot shikar hone wale hai! (The lion has smelt blood. This year, a lot of prey are waiting for Kohli),” Wasim Jaffer tweeted.

After the match, an ecstatic Virat Kohli said that he was pleased with his form with the bat.

“My preparation and intent always stay the same and I just kept backing my intent. As I said during the mid-innings break, it was very close to the template I play with. I also understood we needed an extra 25-30 runs. The only thing I learnt was desperation doesn't get you anywhere. You have to play for the right reasons and almost play every game like your last and just be happy about it. The game is going to move on and I'm happy with my space,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.