NEW DELHI: In India’s ICC World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, captain Rohit Sharma led from the front after opting to bat first. He once again showcased his fearless approach to the Indian game with a 29-ball 47, after which Virat Kohli made the game his own with a record-breaking 50th ODI century.
Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 hundreds in 50-over international matches and achieving this in the presence of Tendulkar at his home ground made the occasion even greater.
After scoring his record century, Kohli bowed to the stands where Tendulkar was sitting along with football legend David Beckham.
Kohli (117) and Shreyas Iyer (105) took the lead after Shubman Gill had to retire due to cramp, taking India to a massive total of 397/4.
“Pachasvi!” exclaimed bowling legend Wasim Akram on the Pakistani news channel “A Sports”.
“When Sachin finished with 49 tonnes, I thought ‘kaun karega yaar’ pachaas sau (will anyone ever reach 50 hundred?). You can still think of it as all-encompassing (cumulative centuries) across all formats. But this guy (Kohli) came, saw and won,” Akram added.
New Zealand, despite a shaky start, made a serious effort to surpass the big target with a century from Daryl Mithcell (134) and a fine 69 from captain Kane Williamson; But when Williamson was sent back by Mohammed Shami, the Indian pacer turned ruthless again and finished with a record-breaking performance of 7/57, securing India’s 70-run victory and entry into the final.
“He (Kohli) delivers almost every time he comes to bat,” said former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who is part of the expert panel of A Sports.
“How to benefit from a solid platform, how to take it to the end, through the way he bats, the batting rotation, stealing boundaries, well-calculated and organized innings. There is a feeling of safety and security when he is in the middle.” The non-striker has nothing to worry about, scoring 6-7 runs and overs is not a problem while other teams think about it, 8-10 runs and stopping overs,” Misbah added.
After Kohli broke Tendulkar’s record, the master blaster recalled how a young Virat was made to touch his feet in the dressing room when he first came into the Indian team to play alongside his hero.
Akram said Tendulkar has inspired a generation of cricketers and Kohli is one of them.
“It is so important to have role models for a young child to follow in every area of life. And he (Tendulkar) was a textbook example for every young aspiring cricketer, not just in India, I’m talking worldwide. “That’s that.” great Sachin.”
India will face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa in the title clash on Sunday in Ahmedabad.