Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli hit his 31st ODI century during the first of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday, October 22. With his first ton at the Wankhede Stadium, the 28-year-old surpassed Australian great Ricky Ponting on the list of most ODI centuries.
Kohli now is second on the list, only behind his childhood idol and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who ended his international career with 49 centuries in a record 463 ODIs. He ended up 121 from 125 balls, helping India post 280 on the board on Sunday.
Most ODI hundreds:
— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) October 22, 2017
49 S Tendulkar
31 VIRAT KOHLI
30 R Ponting
28 S Jayasuriya
26 Hashim Amla
25 K Sangakkara/ AB de Villiers#INDvNZ
Fewest inngs to 1000 ODI runs vs NZ:
— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) October 22, 2017
17 V KOHLI
19 Dean Jones
21 V Sehwag
23 J Kallis
24 M Waugh/ B Lara#INDvNZ
Most runs after 200 ODIs
Kohli also broke AB de Villiers' record of most number of ODI runs in 200 matches. The South African star had previously held the record with 8,621 runs at 54.26.
Check out Kohli's number after 200 ODIs
Most after 200 ODIs:
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 22, 2017
Runs - Kohli (8888)
100s - Kohli (31)
Ave - Kohli (55.55)#INDvNZ
Ton in 200th match
The Delhi dasher, who was also playing his 200th ODI on Sunday, matched De Villiers' feat as the latter had been the only batsman to have hit a century in his 200th match. Notably, the 33-year-old reached the three-figure mark in his landmark match and helped South Africa clinched a five-match ODI series against England in February 2016.
Hard-earned ton in humid Wankhede
On a humid day, skipper Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first. However, New Zealand's premier pacer Trent Boult struck early, removing Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma inside the first 10 overs.
Kohli, who came in at number three, had to do the repair job and he excelled at it, stitching handly partnerships with Kedar Jadhav (42) and Dinesh Karthik (73). The skipper then combined with wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni and added 57 more runs together to put India in a comfortable position.
It was one of the most laborious innings Kohli has played in his 200-match ODI career as the New Zealand bowlers braved the humid conditions and bowled masterfully well. Pacer Trent Boult and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner kept it tight and picked up wickets at regular intervals.
However, Kohli was at ease against the Kiwi attack. He kept running between the wickets hard even as the humidity took a toll on his stamina. Even as wickets kept falling around him, the star Indian batsman held his composure and injected some pace towards the end overs as well.
