WATCH: Virat Kohli Brings up 49th ODI Ton Against South Africa in ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Encounter

Virat Kohli brought up his 49th ODI century against South Africa at the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

The star Indian batsman brought up his ton with a single that got him to the triple-digit mark in the 50-over format of the game for a 49th time, levelling the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in that parameter.

Kohli’s landmark century was made more special by the fact that it came on his birthday, the 5th of November, as he acknowledged the crowd in Kolkata for showing their support.

The fans, who came out in numbers to watch the master at work, stood up and showed their adoration and respect for the batsman, who has helped the men in blues’ cause time and over again throughout his career.

Team India opted to bat first against South Africa in a top-of-the-table clash in the ICC showpiece event as skipper Rohit Sharma gave the men in blue an electric start before being sent back to the pavilion after having scored 40 runs off just 24 deliveries.

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Kohli came to the crease with India at 62 runs for the loss of a wicket in 5.5 overs and built terrific innings from there on. Shubman Gill was next to go as he was castled by Keshav Maharaj for 23 runs, as Shreyas Iyer and Kohli put up a stand of 134 runs for the third wicket before Iyer was dismissed for 77 runs.

KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav were sent back to the hit for 8 runs and 22 runs respectively before Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat and took on the Protea bowling attack with his quickfire 29 off just 15 deliveries, which included three boundaries and a maximum.

Jadeja also had the best seats in the house as he saw Kohli complete his landmark century from down the wicket as India put up a total of 326-5 in 50 overs against the Proteas.

Both sides, India and South Africa have already sealed their qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament and the winner of the ongoing fixture would virtually end up toping the table.