(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] India batter Virat Kohli, who is undeniably one of the greatest of all time, is just an ODI century away from equaling the record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 49 tons in the longer white-ball format. In the 21st match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Kohli came close to the record when he pulled off a classic run-chase against New Zealand at Dharamsala. He got dismissed on 95, missing the hundred by just five runs.
Nevertheless, it is expected that Kohli will reach his 49th ODI ton in the ongoing quadrennial tournament as India still have three World Cup league matches left before the knockouts.
Kohli, recently opened up in an interview, in which the star batter mentioned that he had not thought of achieving so much while playing cricket. Kohli then expressed his surprise and gratitude for achieving many milestones, such as scoring hundreds and accumulating a significant number of runs over the course of his ongoing career.
“If we talk about cricket, I had never thought of achieving all, as in where my career is and how god has blessed me (with) such a career span and performances,” Kohli said as quoted to Star Sports.
“I had always dreamt I’d do this, but I had never thought things would pan out this way exactly. Nobody can plan these things, the way your journey is going, and the way things unfold in front of you. I hadn’t thought that I’d score so many hundreds and so many runs in these 12 years,” he added.
The Delhi-born further acknowledged that he made significant changes in his life, particularly in terms of discipline and lifestyle. Kohli admitted that while he always had the inner motivation and drive to excel in cricket, he initially lacked the level of professionalism required to consistently perform at the highest level.
“My only focus was that I should perform well for the team and win games for the team from difficult situations. For that, I made quite a few changes along the way regarding discipline and lifestyle.
“I always had the drive in me, but I lacked the professionalism. Now, I have a single-minded focus on how I want to play the game, and after that, the results I’ve achieved are from playing that way itself,” he further stated.
Kohli signed off by saying, “The game recognises effort. Honestly, that’s what I have learnt from my career. I’ve played cricket by giving my hundred per cent on the field, and the blessings I have got from it have been given to me by God, and I had never thought things would have unfolded this way.”