Jokes and hilarious memes flooded social media after Virat Kohli ended his century drought in the ICC Cricket World Cups after eight years. The premier India batter's mega feat came against Bangladesh in Pune on Thursday.

 

Virat Kohli last touched the three-figure mark in the Cricket World Cup in 2015, when his hundred helped India register a thumping victory against arch-rivals Pakistan in Adelaide.

 

 

Virat Kohli struck a masterful 103 off 97 deliveries, including six fours and four sixes, to power India to a seven-wicket win, their fourth in succession in the prestigious tournament.

During the process, Virat Kohli surpassed his idol Sachin Tendulkar to become the quickest to complete 26,000 runs in international cricket.

 

Virat Kohli reached the milestone in his 567th knock, while Sachin Tendulkar needed 600 essays to get to the mark.

 

More so, the hundred against Bangladesh took the former India captain ever closer to Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 centuries in ODIs.

 

Virat Kohli now has 48 tons in the 50-over format while the Little Master finished his illustrious career with 49 hundreds in ODIs. 

With his scintillating batting display at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Virat Kohli improved his run tally to 13,342.

 

He is only behind four players in terms of runs in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar (18,426), Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Ricky Ponting (13,704), and Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430). But all of them took far more matches to score their runs than Virat Kohli has done.

 

Furthermore, Virat Kohli's hundred against Bangladesh made him the second-highest run-scorer in this edition of the Cricket World Cup.

 

In the 2023 Cricket World Cup, the Team India superstar's tally stands at 259, only six short of Rohit Sharma, who tops the list with 265 runs.

 

After Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first, India found themselves in trouble with their opponents dominating the proceedings at the start of the contest.

 

With the Bangladesh score reading 93/0 in just over 14 overs, India needed someone to give them a breakthrough, and it was provided to them by Kuldeep Yadav.

 

Then, the Indian spinners, particularly Ravindra Jadeja, dried up the runs for Bangladesh, resulting in four wickets in quick succession.

 

Two more wickets from Jasprit Bumrah during the final ten overs meant that Bangladesh could only manage 256/7 in their allocated 50 overs.

 

In reply, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India an explosive start, with the former choosing to take the aerial route to punish the Bangladesh bowlers with boundaries and sixes.

 

Though Rohit Sharma couldn't complete his fifty, falling for 48 off 40 balls, he had given the Men in Blue the momentum they needed to put their foot on the accelerator to claim their fourth successive win in the World Cup.

 

After the India skipper departed, Shubman Gill completed his half-century before perishing in his bid to hit a six. Shubman Gill's wicket brought Shreyas Iyer to the crease. But he couldn't stay there for long, getting dismissed for 19.

 

The wickets of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer did not deter Virat Kohli from motoring along nicely to 80, which is where things began to get interesting on the field.

 

With Virat Kohli needing 20 to complete his hundred and India requiring the same amount of runs to win the match, the Delhi-born cricketer elevated his game to attain the milestone.

 

The contribution of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli's batting partner during this concluding stages of the clash, was equally important as he aided the latter in his pursuit of a century.

 

It all began in the 39th over. Virat Kohli, still in the 70s, smashed the Bangladesh bowler Hasan Mahmud for a six to move into the 80s.

 

The 40th over saw Virat Kohli hit a boundary and six to enter into the 90s, giving the crowd genuine hope that the master batter was on his way to another hundred in the 50-over format.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
MS Dhoni, CSK, Chennai Super Kings, IPL, Indian Premier League, Rinku Singh, Indian Cricket Team, T20 World Cup, India,

Pawan Atri ·

Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB, IPL, Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans, GT, Will Jacks,

Pawan Atri ·

Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB, IPL, Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans, GT,

Pawan Atri ·

 

Eventually, the situation came down to India needing two runs to win when Virat Kohli was three runs away from his ton.

 

Virat Kohli could only touch the three-figure mark by smacking the ball in the stands, which he did comfortably, thus securing his team's triumph and a hundred for himself.

 

After India's win, Virat Kohli was named the Player Of The Match award for his sensational innings.

 

In the post-match presentation, Mark Nicholas informed Virat Kohli that Ravindra Jadeja was the frontrunner to pick the Player Of The Match award before his century turned the tide in his favor.

 

“Well. Sorry for stealing it from Jaddu but I wanted to make a big contribution. I have had a few fifties in World Cups, and I have never really converted them so I just wanted to finish the game off this time around. Yeah, hang on till the end which is what I have done over the years for the team,” Virat Kohli said.

 

“I was telling Shubman [Gill] that even if you dream about a situation like that you just go back to sleep, you won't think it is real. It was a dream start for me, first four balls two free-hits, a six and four, just calms you down and just gets you into the innings. The pitch was pretty good and it allowed me to play my game…just time the ball, hit the gaps, run hard and get the boundaries wherever needed,” he added.

 

“There is a great atmosphere in the change room. We are loving each other's company, the spirit is for everyone to see off the field, that's why it is translating like that on the field. We understand it is a long tournament and you need to create some momentum in the change room for the guys to come out and play like this. It's a special feeling playing at home, playing in front of all these people so we just want to make the most of it,” Virat Kohli asserted.

The Men in Blue will take on New Zealand in a clash of the table toppers at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on October 22.

In the previous edition of the World Cup in 2019, India suffered a heartbreaking defeat to New Zealand, leaving fans and players in tears.