Title: Virat Kohli’s Record-Equalling Century Earns Praise from AB de Villiers
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 6 – Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers hailed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli for his record-equalling 49th century in One Day Internationals (ODIs). De Villiers, who is a former teammate of Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), expressed his admiration for the Indian skipper’s laser-focused attitude when they met in Kolkata before India’s Cricket World Cup match against South Africa.
Virat Kohli’s century against South Africa allowed him to match the impressive record of Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar, who also scored 49 ODI centuries during his illustrious career. Kohli’s achievement was supported notable performances from Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Shami, resulting in India’s eighth consecutive victory in the CWC 2023, beating South Africa 243 runs.
Reflecting on their unexpected reunion, De Villiers shared, “First of all, it was obviously not part of the plan to meet Virat. It just happened that way, but things have always happened that way for the two of us.” He further described the encounter, stating, “I walked straight into him this morning, and I was like woah, I see you on your birthday, and you are about to match the record of the great Sachin Tendulkar. I just remember seeing those eyes. He was so laser-focused.”
De Villiers expressed his admiration for Kohli’s century and stated that he is not surprised the achievement, remarking that it is difficult to stop Virat once he settles in. He added, “When Virat Kohli is focused and playing well, it’s very difficult to stop him. It is all about the desire. He still wants it, and he wants it more. I am expecting even more fireworks from here on.”
The former RCB player also expressed his happiness for Kohli’s milestone, referring to him as his brother. Despite the achievement being against South Africa, De Villiers emphasized his joy for Kohli’s success, saying, “I am very happy for my brother. That is what he is to me. We’ve come a long way together. We’ve got great memories on and off the field.”
In the ICC CWC, Kohli has scored 543 runs in eight matches, with an average of over 108. He has achieved two centuries and four half-centuries, with his best score being an unbeaten 103. India’s next match will be against the Netherlands in their final league stage encounter, scheduled for November 12.
[SEE ALSO: Reliance Jio launches JioMotive, a vehicle tracking and diagnostics device; Zerodha app goes down – company acknowledges issue as users complain on social media; Honasa IPO – How to check Mamaearth allotment, GMP, listing date, and more].