Kohli Equals Sachin's Record: 5 Lesser Known Facts About India's Cricket Icon

A perseverant Virat Kohli finally conjured up his highly-anticipated and record-equalling 49th ODI century that steered India to a challenging 326 for five against formidable South Africa in the World Cup here on Sunday.

It was an ideal setting for Kohli to equal his idol, the iconic Sachin Tendulkar's record on his 35th birthday after missing the magic three-figure mark earlier in the showpiece.

He was dismissed for 95 and 88 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka but the Indian run-machine did not disappoint the ecastic Eden full house on Sunday.

As cricket fans celebrate Kohli's achievement, here we bring you five lesser-known facts about him:

No Century Against Non-Test Playing Country
Kohli may have 78 centuries to his credit, but he has not scored a 100 against non-test playing nations such as Nepal, Namibia, Netherlands, UAE, Hong Kong and Scotland. His fans hope that he will score hit a century in India's next match against the Netherlands on November 12.

No Man Of The Match In IPL in 3 Seasons
Did you know, that the highest-scoring cricketer in the IPL has not received the Man of the Match award in the first three seasons? However, he has received the award 16 times in total.

4 IPL Wickets
Although King Kohli won't bowl often, he has taken four wickets in the IPL.

He has taken two wickets against the Deccan Chargers in 2008 (Chamara Silva and Dwarka Ravi Teja). He has claimed the wickets of Brendon McCullum and Wriddhiman Saha while playing against Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Chennai Super Kings, respectively in 2011.

Kohli Bowled Kane Williamson in U-19 World Cup 2008 semifinals
Not many might be aware of the fact that Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson had a face-off in the U-19 World Cup semifinals in 2008. They were the captains of their sides. In the crucial match, Kohli had took the wicket of the New Zealand captain.

Kohli's 1st IPL Salary
Between 2008 and 2010, he had just received Rs 12 lakh a season in the IPL. However in 2022, he received Rs 15 crore.