The game between India and South Africa is underway at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This game will decide which team will top the group at the end. India, with 7 wins, are at the top, while South Africa are second with 12 points.
It is also the 35th birthday for Virat Kohli, who made history with yet another century. The game kicked off with India winning the toss and putting South Africa to bowl first. Both openers gave India a flying start, and India finished at 91/1 after the first powerplay.
India lost Rohit Sharma (40) and Shubman Gill (24) in quick succession. Then, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took the innings deep and added a 137-run partnership for the third wicket. Iyer got out after scoring 77 off 87 balls, with 7 fours and 2 sixes.
Virat remained till the very end and went on to score his much-awaited 49th ODI hundred. The former Indian captain made 101 runs with ten fours but played 121 balls during his inning. India reached 326/5, but many questioned Virat’s approach. Some fans even said that Virat was playing for his hundred.
However, after the end of the first inning, the 35-year-old revealed why he played slowly. Virat said in the mid-innings that he was conveyed by Rohit and management to stick to the very end and let the others play around him and take the inning deep.
The former Indian captain said, “The ball started gripping and turning; it slowed down, and then my role was to bat deeo. That was what was communicated to me by the team management.” Overall, it was a brilliant hundred, and he equals Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI hundreds.
Now, he needs one more century to become the first player with 50 ODI tons in history. With the form he is in, it looks like he will do it soon. He also became only the third batter to score a World Cup hundred on his birthday. Ross Taylor and Mitchell Marsh have done it earlier.
