IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli goes past Sachin Tendulkar with 8th fifty-plus score in single edition of ODI World Cup

India batter Virat Kohli hit his 8th fifty-plus score in the World Cup 2023.

Kohli, who has been having a sensational tournament so far, anchored the Indian innings against New Zealand in the semi-final match of the tournament on Wednesday, 15 November.

Kohli reached his half-century in 59 balls and with that went past legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 7 fifty-plus scores in a single edition of the tournament. The half-century also brought Kohli closer to the tally of Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the highest runs in a single edition of the tournament – 673, which he hit in the 2003 edition of the tournament.

Playing on a slow pitch at the Wankhede Stadium, Kohli rotated the strike well after Rohit Sharma’s blazing start. The batter had slowed down a bit before reaching his half-century, but picked up the pace after a message came in from the Indian dressing room.

Kohli has had a sensational tournament this time around, setting multiple records. In the World Cup 2023, Kohli equalled the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries, a hundred that came on his birthday against South Africa. The former India captain showed incredible responsibility throughout the tournament and played knocks of high value in the tournament.

At the time of writing, Kohli was batting on 74 off 76 balls with India in complete control of the game. India had already scored 226/1 in 32 overs and were looking good for a strong total in the semi-final clash.

Kohli and Rohit have been India’s standout batters in the tournament. The two senior men from the Indian team have helped the side to either post or chase down totals with a commanding performance and have barely looked out of touch. Kohli, especially, has been brilliant while setting and chasing the record with several hailing the batter as one of the best ever.