Virat Kohli has now scored the highest number of centuries in ODI cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar. In the Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Kohli hit his 50th ODI ton in 106 balls with 8 fours and a six. This achievement broke the tie with Sachin, who had 49 centuries. Kohli also set a World Cup record with eight fifty-plus scores in a single edition.

Most 50-plus scores in a World Cup edition:

8 – Virat Kohli (2023)
7 – Sachin Tendulkar (2003)
7 – Shakib Al Hasan (2019)
6 – Rohit Sharma (2019)
6 – David Warner (2019)

Moreover, Kohli secured another World Cup record by accumulating the most runs in a single edition.

Most runs in a single World Cup edition:

674* – Virat Kohli (2023)
673 – Sachin Tendulkar (2003)
659 – Matthew Hayden (2007)
648 – Rohit Sharma (2019)
647 – David Warner (2019)

In addition, Kohli’s exceptional performance contributed to India’s success in the tournament, where Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat against New Zealand in the semifinal. The match took place at Wankhede Stadium, where the team batting first had won three out of four previous games. Both India and New Zealand maintained an unchanged lineup for the crucial semifinal clash.

India : Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer,Mohammed Siraj ,Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wkt), Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

New Zealand : Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (capt), Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips,Tom Latham (wkt),  Trent Boult,Tim Southee, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee.