Legendary Sachin Tendulkar has extended his heartfelt congratulations to the prolific Virat Kohli for equalling his remarkable record of 49 One Day International (ODI) centuries.

The cricket world was abuzz as Virat Kohli, on his 35th birthday, played a stunning innings to achieve this milestone against South Africa in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

Taking to the popular social media platform Instagram, Sachin Tendulkar showered praise upon Kohli for this remarkable achievement, and in a true sporting spirit, expressed his hope that Kohli would surpass his record in the near future.

Tendulkar wrote, "Well played Virat. It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50 earlier this year. I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days. Congratulations!!"

Virat Kohli's unbeaten century, scoring a brilliant 101 off 121 balls with 10 boundaries, has not only drawn him level with the "Little Master" Tendulkar but has also solidified his status as one of the finest ODI batsmen of all time. Remarkably, he has now scored an incredible 79 international centuries, further emphasizing his incredible consistency and skill.

This significant innings also elevated Kohli as India's leading run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup, a tournament that has seen India surge to the top of the 2023 points table.

Should India go on to claim their third World Cup title, Kohli will join an elite group of Indians who have won the competition twice. From the current 15-member squad, only Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin remain from the victorious 2011 World Cup-winning team.

Virat Kohli's monumental achievement also saw him surpass the legendary Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara in terms of runs scored in ODI World Cups. He now stands as the third-highest scorer in the history of the competition, underlining his consistency and dominance on the world stage.

Notably, this innings marks the first time that Virat Kohli has crossed the 500-run mark in an ODI World Cup, cementing his reputation as a top-tier performer in the sport's premier event. It's also the first instance of the 35-year-old amassing two centuries in a single edition of the ODI World Cup, a testament to his adaptability and class as a batsman.