Men’s ODI WC: It was a tricky wicket to bat on, says Virat Kohli after scoring record 49th hundred

Virat Kohli has revealed that the wicket on which he achieved his 49th ODI century, scoring 101* off 121 deliveries batting against South Africa at Eden Gardens, was a tricky one to bat on.

Kohli’s handy century came in 119 balls and comprised 10 boundaries. Kohli scored his 49th hundred in only his 289th ODI, needing 173 matches fewer than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who got there in his 463rd match.

The 34-year-old batter also racked up his 79th hundred for India and is now 21 short of Tendulkar’s world record of 100 centuries.

“It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on. We got a great start. My job was to keep the momentum going when I got in. But after 10 overs, the ball started gripping and the wicket started slowing down. My role was to bat deep and till the end after the openers fell because that's what I've done, that was the communication as well -- to have guys bat around me,” said Virat Kohli to broadcasters," he said.

"Shreyas starting hitting well as well. Shreyas and I had a lot of practice sessions before the Asia Cup and invariably batted together at 3 and 4. Both of us are comfortable against spinners," he added. 

"When you lose two wickets and don't have Hardik (Pandya), you need to bat deep and get to a stage where the opposition feels like we have to restrict them. Grateful to God that I've been blessed with such moments,” he added.

India have posted a mammoth total of 326/5 on a tricky surface where batting doesn’t look easy. Virat Kohli talking of India's score, said, “It's a target well above par for me as the ball was gripping and it wasn't easy to get hold of the bowlers. We have a quality attack. Wicket will get slower, pressure will mount, so hopefully we start well with the new ball.”