Former Indian legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar praised Virat Kohli after he scored his 52nd ODI century, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record. The milestone was achieved during the first ODI between India and South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.Kohli’s innings helped stabilize India’s score and established him as a batting great. By surpassing Tendulkar’s 51 centuries in Tests, he became the player with the most centuries in a single format of international cricket,“Those who’ve played with Virat Kohli and against him, they all agree that he’s the greatest of ODIs. Ricky Ponting also rated him as the GOAT. It’s very tough to get appreciation from Australians. When you pass Sachin, you know where this man stands,” he told JioStar during the mid-innings break.ODI remains the only international format Kohli plays after retiring from Tests and T20Is. He aims to participate in the 2027 World Cup before ending his career.Despite facing criticism from experts suggesting retirement, Kohli maintained his strong form. He scored 135 runs off 120 balls in this match.During the match, a fan ran onto the field to touch Kohli’s feet before security personnel removed him from the ground.Both Kohli and 38-year-old Rohit made their return to ODI cricket after stepping away from T20 and Test formats.Their experience strengthened the Indian team, which was led by KL Rahul due to Shubman Gill’s injury, following a 2-0 Test series loss to South Africa.After losing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal early for 18, Kohli joined Rohit at the crease to loud cheers from the 38,000 spectators.The duo stabilized the innings before Jansen dismissed Rohit lbw. Rohit’s 51-ball innings featured five fours and three sixes.Despite losing additional wickets, Kohli maintained his composure through the middle overs when scoring slowed.After reaching his first century since February, Kohli accelerated dramatically, scoring 21 runs off Prenelan Subrayen in the 39th over with two fours and two sixes.Nandre Burger eventually dismissed Kohli, caught by Ryan Rickelton, after he had hit 11 fours and seven sixes
