Virat Kohli delivered a masterful 135 off 120 balls against South Africa in the first ODI at the JSCA Stadium on Sunday, registering his 52nd century in the format and etching a new landmark in cricket history.
Virat Kohli is also the first player to reach 52 hundreds in a single international format. This record was previously held by the great Sachin Tendulkar, who had 51 Test centuries.
The century also marked his 83rd across all international cricket (30 Tests + 52 ODIs + 1 T20I), leaving him 17 short of Tendulkar’s overall record of 100 international hundreds.
Kohli arrived at the crease in the fourth over with India 15 for 1. He combined fluency and authority, scoring 135 runs in 130 balls and his innings featured 11 fours and 7 sixes.
This was Kohli’s sixth ODI hundred against South Africa – the most by any batter – and his 25th on home soil. At 37, the former captain continues to set new standards in the 50-over game.
He had already surpassed Tendulkar’s 49 ODI centuries during the 2023 World Cup with his 50th ODI century in the semi-final against New Zealand.
