India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli climbed atop the pantheon of one-day international (ODI) cricket with a record-breaking 50th ODI century on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Kohli went past his idol Sachin Tendulkar's mark of 49 ODI tons during the semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium, the venue where India had lifted the 2011 World Cup trophy and which now houses Tendulkar's statue. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Preview | Key Battles)
Tendulkar promptly congratulated Kohli on the unprecedented feat, posting a heartfelt message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Tendulkar wrote: "I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup Semi-final - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake."
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Kohli's knock was a typically responsible one, where he cut down on the risks and married caution with considered aggression. He struck eight fours and one six en route the hundred, scoring majority of his runs by sprinting between the wickets in the sweltering Mumbai heat.
ALSO READ: Kohli Fuelling India's Ambition In World Cup
He went past another milestone of Tendulkar along the way, scoring the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup. Tendulkar had hit 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup, and Kohli bettered it during his historic semi-final knock. Kohli also surpassed Aussie legend Ricky Ponting in the all-time highest ODI run-getters list. Ponting had scored 13,704 runs in his 50-over career.
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Kohli had equalled Tendulkar's record when got to his 49th ODI century on his 35th birthday against South Africa at Eden Gardens, where he had hit his first ODI hundred. Kohli went one better at Tendulkar's home ground and in his adoring presence, as Tendulkar watched intently from the stands, sitting alongside football legend David Beckham.
Here is the detailed list of each one of the 50 ODI hundreds that Kohli has hit so far:
| No. | Runs | Against | Position | Innings | Strike Rate | Venue | Date | Result |
| 1 | 107 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 93.85 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 24-Dec-09 | Won |
| 2 | 102 no | Bangladesh | 3 | 2 | 107.37 | Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | 11-Jan-10 | Won |
| 3 | 118 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 97.52 | APCA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 20-Oct-10 | Won |
| 4 | 105 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 100.96 | Nehru Stadium, Guwahati | 28-Nov-10 | Won |
| 5 | 100 no | Bangladesh | 4 | 1 | 120.48 | Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | 19-Feb-11 | Won |
| 6 | 107 | England | 4 | 1 | 115.05 | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 16-Sep-11 | Lost (D/L) |
| 7 | 117 no | England | 4 | 2 | 114.28 | Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi | 17-Oct-11 | Won |
| 8 | 117 | West Indies | 4 | 2 | 95.12 | APCA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 02-Dec-11 | Won |
| 9 | 133 no | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 154.65 | Bellerive Oval, Hobart | 28-Feb-12 | Won |
| 10 | 108 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 90 | Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | 13-Mar-12 | Won |
| 11 | 183 | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 123.64 | Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka | 18-Mar-12 | Won |
| 12 | 106 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 93.8 | MRIC Stadium, Hambantota | 21-Jul-12 | Won |
| 13 | 128 no | Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 107.56 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 31-Jul-12 | Won |
| 14 | 102 | West Indies | 3 | 1 | 122.89 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | 05-Jul-13 | Won (D/L) |
| 15 | 115 | Zimbabwe | 3 | 2 | 106.48 | Harare Sports Club, Harare | 24-Jul-13 | Won |
| 16 | 100 no | Australia | 3 | 2 | 192.3 | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 16-Oct-13 | Won |
| 17 | 115 no | Australia | 3 | 2 | 174.24 | VCA Stadium, Nagpur | 30-Oct-13 | Won |
| 18 | 123 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 110.81 | McLean Park, Napier | 19-Jan-14 | Lost |
| 19 | 136 | Bangladesh | 3 | 2 | 111.47 | Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah | 26-Feb-14 | Won |
| 20 | 127 | West Indies | 3 | 1 | 111.4 | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala | 17-Oct-14 | Won |
| 21 | 139 no | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 110.31 | JSCA Stadium, Ranchi | 16-Nov-14 | Won |
| 22 | 107 | Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 84.9 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | 15-Feb-15 | Won |
| 23 | 138 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 98.57 | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 22-Oct-15 | Won |
| 24 | 117 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 100 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | 17-Jan-16 | Lost |
| 25 | 106 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 115.21 | Manuka Oval, Canberra | 20-Jan-16 | Lost |
| 26 | 154 no | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 114.92 | IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | 23-Oct-16 | Won |
| 27 | 122 | England | 3 | 2 | 116.19 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | 15-Jan-17 | Won |
| 28 | 111 no | West Indies | 3 | 2 | 96.52 | Sabina Park, Kingston | 06-Jul-17 | Won |
| 29 | 131 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 136.45 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 31-Aug-17 | Won |
| 30 | 110 no | Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 94.82 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 03-Sep-17 | Won |
| 31 | 121 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 96.8 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 22-Oct-17 | Lost |
| 32 | 113 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 106.6 | Green Park Stadium, Kanpur | 29-Oct-17 | Won |
| 33 | 112 | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 94.11 | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | 01-Feb-18 | Won |
| 34 | 160 no | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 100.62 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | 07-Feb-18 | Won |
| 35 | 129 no | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 134.37 | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 16-Feb-18 | Won |
| 36 | 140 | West Indies | 3 | 2 | 130.84 | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | 21-Oct-18 | Won |
| 37 | 157 no | West Indies | 3 | 1 | 121.71 | ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 24-Oct-18 | Tied |
| 38 | 107 | West Indies | 3 | 2 | 89.91 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | 27-Oct-18 | Lost |
| 39 | 104 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 92.85 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | 15-Jan-19 | Won |
| 40 | 116 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 96.67 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 05-Mar-19 | Won |
| 41 | 123 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 129.47 | JSCA Stadium, Ranchi | 08-Mar-19 | Lost |
| 42 | 120 | West Indies | 3 | 1 | 96 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | 11-Aug-19 | Won |
| 43 | 114 no | West Indies | 3 | 2 | 115.15 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | 14-Aug-19 | Won |
| 44 | 113 | Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 124.17 | Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong | 10-Dec-22 | Won |
| 45 | 113 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 129.88 | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | 10-Jan-23 | Won |
| 46 | 166 no | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 150.9 | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | 15-Jan-23 | Won |
| 47 | 122 no | Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 129.78 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 10-Sep-23 | Won |
| 48 | 103 no | Bangladesh | 3 | 2 | 106.18 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | 19-Oct-23 | Won |
| 49 | 101 no | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 83.47 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 05-Nov-23 | Won |
| 50 | 117 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 103.53 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 15-Nov-23 | TBD |
Over the years, Kohli has become a limited-overs giant, breaking record after record in the 50-over format in particular. Beyond the records, though, it is his ability to unilaterally transform matches that is most cherished. India have lost just seven of the 50 ODIs where Kohli has scored a ton, which shows the impact of his knocks on the outcome.
