"I really hope he scores more centuries": Mohammad Azharuddin hails Virat Kohli's record 50th ton
Nov 15, 2023
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 15 : Former India cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin congratulated Virat Kohli for breaking the record for most ODI centuries by hitting his 50th ton in the format at the ICC World Cup.
India's star batter Kohli became the first player in the history of ODI cricket to score 50 centuries. Kohli reached the milestone during India's ongoing World Cup semifinal against New Zealand at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
He reached this landmark in the 42nd over off the bowling of Lockie Ferguson. In doing so India's batting talisman Kohli became the first player to score 50 ODI centuries, surpassing 'Masterbalster' Sachin Tendulkar's 49 hundreds. 
"I want to congratulate Virat Kohli. He played an amazing innings and made a record ton. It's not easy to make records. He batters phenomenally. I really hope he scores more centuries and win the World Cup. It will be difficult for New Zealand to chase the total as the main two batters are sent back into the pavilion. So it will be difficult for them to chase," Azharuddin told ANI.
Carrying forward the blazing start given by the openers -- skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill --, Kohli brought up his 50th ODI ton of 106 balls with 8 four and 1 six. He later opened out before eventually falling for 117 off 113 balls. His knock was punctuated with nine fours and two sixes.
Kohli scored his runs at a strike rate of over 103 before being eventually sent back by Tim Southee. Now, Kohli has a total of 50 ODI centuries in 291 ODIs. He has overtaken his childhood idol Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 49 ODI centuries in his decorated career.
After a blistering start from the openers, India's relentless number three helped the team put together a first-innings score of 397/4 in the ICC World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.
