Felt proud seeing Virat equalling his idol: Childhood coach after Kohli notches up 49th ODI ton
Nov 05, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 5 : Delighted beyond words after his former student scripted cricketing history, equalling Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most number of ODI hundreds and playing a match-winning hand for the 'Men In Blue' against South Africa at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, the star batter's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said Virat Kohli plays to win games for the country and not for personal milestones.
Riding on Kohli's historic century on his 35th birthday, India outclassed South Africa in all departments to win by a whopping 243 runs in front of a partisan crowd at the iconic cricketing amphitheatre on Sunday.
On the back of Kohli's stupendous knock, nearly carrying his bat through the innings, India set a daunting target of 326 for the Proteas, which eventually proved to be a mountain too high.
"It is a very proud moment for me personally seeing Virat equalling the record of the great, Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin has been an idol for Virat and seeing him equal his record for the most number of ODI centuries made my heart swell with pride. However, Virat is someone who plays for the team and not for personal milestones. I was happy how he was contributing significantly to India's win despite falling short of the three-figure mark in previous matches. The Almighty showered his blessings on him today and he gave a return gift to his adoring fans and the country," Rajkumar to ANI.
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After winning the toss at a packed Eden Gardens on Sunday, India opted to bat first.
Riding on Kohli's birthday special and useful knocks from skipper Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, India posted a massive 326/5 in their 50 overs.
Rohit Sharma (40 in 23 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Shubman Gill (23 in 24 balls with four fours and a six) got India off to a flying start.
After the fall of the openers, Virat came together with Shreyas for a match-winning partnership of 134 for the third wicket.
Following up on his blistering knock against Sri Lanka, Shreyas scored 77 off 87 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
Quickfire cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (22 in 14 balls, with five fours) and Ravindra Jadeja (29* in 15 balls with three fours and a six) in the latter half of the innings took India past the 300-run mark.
Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi took a wicket apiece.
