Former cricketers were in awe of Virat Kohli after the talismanic Team India batter equaled the legendary Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries in Test cricket. With his ton against the West Indies in Port of Spain in Trinidad, Virat Kohli put himself on par with the Australian great this weekend. Sir Don Bradman is considered the best batter in cricket history, and equaling his feat would have given Kohli a lot of satisfaction.
The cricketers who paid rich plaudits to Virat Kohli were Suresh Raina, Munaf Patel, Sachin Tendulkar, and many others.
“Another smashing century by the maestro Virat Kohli. Hats off to your unmatched talent and unyielding spirit!” Suresh Raina tweeted sharing similar views with millions of Virat Kohli supporters worldwide.
“That was special 76th century Virat Kohli on 500th Game. Congratulations,” 2011 World Cup winner Munaf Patel said on the microblogging platform.
“What a player Virat Kohli has been. 100 on 500th game,” Irfan Pathan posted.
“100 in 500th! A man with big numbers and a bigger heart! Well played, Virat Kohli,” the ex-India skipper's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Dinesh Karthik remarked.
On Friday, the premier India batter scripted a unique world record as he became the first cricketer to smash a hundred in his 500th international match.
The Delhi-born superstar's feat came on Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies played at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain in Trinidad.
For the unversed, the second Test against the West Indies is Virat Kohli's 500th match. If we further break down the stats, he has represented India in 110 Tests, 274 ODIs, and 115 T20Is.
Incidentally, Virat Kohli's 76th hundred in international cricket during the weekend made him the fastest to the milestone as he toppled his idol Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot. While Sachin Tendulkar needed 587 essays to touch the landmark, Virat Kohli required only 559 knocks.
Virat Kohli, who was unbeaten on 87 on Day 1 of the second Test, looked in imperious touch against the Caribbean bowlers. In addition to milking them for ones and twos with relative comfort, the Delhi-born cricketer never appeared to be getting out. But an unfortunate misunderstanding between him and Ravindra Jadeja led to his dismissal as Virat Kohli had to leave the ground after making a well-compiled ton. A direct throw ran him out for 121.
Though he was utterly disappointed with his departure from the crease as he looked set for a double century, the 34-year-old still made history at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
Before Virat Kohli, only three Indians participated in 500 international matches – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Also, Virat Kohli surpassed Virender Sehwag to become the fifth-highest run-scorer for India in Test cricket.
While Sehwag's run tally in the five-day version of the sport stood at 8586, Kohli now has 8676 runs in red ball cricket.
The hundred against Kraigg Brathwaite and his boys helped Virat Kohli close the gap on the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who has five centuries more than the former in the Whites. India's top hundred makers in Tests are Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34).
Talking specifically about making three-figure scores at No.4, Virat Kohli went past former West Indies great Brian Lara, who scored 24 tons in that position. Though Kohli has 25 at that spot, three men are ahead of him, and they are Sachin Tendulkar (44), Jacques Kallis (35), and Mahela Jayawardene (30).
Among active cricketers, Joe Root of England and Steve Smith of Australia have 19 centuries at No.4.
Moreover, unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who could only complete one hundred in the Caribbean during his illustrious career that lasted 24 years, it was Virat Kohli's second ton in the West Indies following his maiden double ton in 2016.
However, he's still way behind Sunil Gavaskar, who retired with seven centuries in the West Indies. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid, Dilip Sardesai, and Polly Umrigar – finished their careers with three tons a piece in the Caribbean.
Noticeably, it was Virat Kohli's first overseas hundred since 2018, when he reached three figures against Australia in Perth.
Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta called Virat Kohli's 76th international ton a “huge achievement”.
“That's a huge achievement – hundred No. 29. I think it was a really good innings and again something that didn't come very easy to him. He really had to work for it, so you've got to give more credit for that,” Deep Dasgupta told ESPNCricinfo.
“No matter what people say, numbers do matter. I'd be honest. When you look at our society as such, most of our judgment is based on numbers. More importantly, it's just the fact that he hadn't scored a hundred away from home, out of Asia I believe, in so many years.”
“It's not just about what everyone else is saying. It's also about yourself. Virat is someone who has said that himself before as well – it's about trying to prove himself. It's not about what anyone else is saying or what people think. I think that would be a monkey off his back, that hundred. He would be relieved,” the cricketer-turned-pundit concluded.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's wife, actress Anushka Sharma, was ridiculed on the internet despite her husband's record-breaking hundred in the ongoing second Test between India and West Indies in Port of Spain.
Following Virat Kohli's 76th international century in Trinidad, Anushka Sharma posted a special message for her partner on Instagram.
The movie star, having millions of followers on social media, shared a picture of Virat Kohli, in which he was acknowledging the crowd's cheers after his hundred at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain. Anushka Sharma complimented it with a heart emoji.
Anushka Sharma's gesture irked some Virat Kohli admirers, who claimed she brought bad luck to the superstar batter. Moreover, others argued that not having Anushka Sharma in the stands was a blessing for Virat Kohli as he could score his 29th Test hundred in her absence.
On the other hand, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar was brutally trolled on social media after he posted a message on Instagram for Virat Kohli following his historic hundred against West Indies.
It is a well-known fact that Virat Kohli admired Sachin Tendulkar while he was taking baby steps toward becoming an international cricketer.
On the flip side, since Virat Kohli cemented his place among the modern-day greats of the sport, Sachin Tendulkar has become one of his all-time supporters, sending his good wishes to the Delhi-born batter whenever he lit up the field with his batting.
Once again, Sachin Tendulkar's love for Virat Kohli came to the fore as he congratulated the latter for his historic hundred against the West Indies in Port of Spain.
Sachin Tendulkar wrote on Instagram, “Another day, another century by Virat Kohli. Well played!”
A section of fans liked the Mumbai-based ex-cricket star's post, but a few shared hilarious memes, making fun of his inner state of mind because Virat Kohli was closing the gap on his record of 100 centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer to hit 100 centuries in international cricket. Though there's no doubt that Virat Kohli would take a couple of years to get there, he could break his record for most ODI tons this year.
At present, Virat Kohli has 46 three-figure scores to his name in the 50-over format, with Sachin Tendulkar occupying the top spot with 49. But with three ODIs against West Indies coming up in July and August, followed by the Asia Cup and World Cup, Virat Kohli would have a genuine chance to break the God of Cricket's record before the end of this year.
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