World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli shatters Sachin Tendulkar’s 16-year-old record of greatness vs SL

Once again, Virat Kohli came close to a half-century with the magical ’49’ mark seeming almost inevitable, but for the fourth time in the 2023 World Cup, the former India captain fell short of reaching triple figures. In a packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the same venue where he had lifted India’s second World Cup trophy 12 years ago, Kohli had the significant opportunity to match his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s record in front of his home crowd. However, he was eventually dismissed by a slower delivery from Dilshan Madushanka, falling 12 runs short of one of the most highly anticipated milestones in world cricket.

Despite missing out on Sachin’s elusive record, Kohli did achieve a remarkable feat during his innings of 88 off 94 against Sri Lanka in India’s seventh World Cup 2023 match.

Virat Kohli crossed Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most 1000 runs in a year

Prior to reaching his 70th ODI half-century, Kohli crossed the 1000-run mark in 2023, becoming the third Indian batter in the calendar year to achieve this milestone, following Shubman Gill (1426 runs) and Rohit Sharma (1060 runs). This was the eighth time in his illustrious career that Kohli had scored 1000 or more runs in a single calendar year, surpassing Sachin’s record of seven such scores, the last of which occurred in 2007. Kohli achieved this feat in the years 2011 (1381 runs), 2012 (1026 runs), 2013 (1268 runs), 2014 (1054 runs), 2017 (1460 runs), 2018 (1202 runs), 2019 (1377 runs), and now in 2023.

In addition to his century tally, when Kohli reached the half-century mark, he also moved ahead of India’s captain, Rohit, to claim the second spot for the most fifty-plus scores in World Cups. Kohli now has 13 such scores to his name, with only Sachin ahead of him, boasting 21 such scores in 44 innings.

Kohli, who had experienced a rare duck dismissal in the previous World Cup game, showcased sublime form on Thursday as he appeared to be on track for a century. He was partnered by Shubman Gill, who was on the brink of a century himself. However, Dilshan Madushanka, who had previously dismissed Rohit in the opening over, managed to dismiss both Gill and Kohli in quick succession, ending their impressive 189-run partnership for the second wicket.

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