Virat Kohli equalled his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI hundreds with his 49th century on his 35th birthday in one of the game’s historic grounds filled with the most jubilant fans, setting the stage for India’s 243-run thumping of South Africa in the World Cup at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Maybe the stars had this planned all along. After his team had won seven straight games, Kohli entered the Eden Gardens to face an aggressive and in-form South Africa team looking to capture its first World Cup trophy and shake off the stigma of choker.
But by the time the match ended, India had solidified their position atop the standings, with Kohli finally matching Tendulkar after weeks of intense national anticipation. South Africa had been bowled out for 83 in 27.1 overs.
With a brilliant final spell of 5/33, Ravindra Jadeja tried to steal the thunder from Kohli but all in all, it was a thunderous team effort from the entire unit.
Set an imposing target of 327 after Kohli’s 121-ball 101 not out, Shreyas Iyer’s fluent 87-ball 77 and some fireworks towards the end by Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja, the Proteas crumbled like a pack of cards.
It matched the Men in Blue’s winning streak from the 2003 World Cup, when they were defeated by Australia in the championship game, as the joint-longest winning streak in World Cup history. India had the second-longest winning run at the 2015 World Cup, winning seven straight games prior to losing to Australia in the semifinals.
India’s longest winning streak came in its 2011 ODI World Cup campaign, which includes four straight triumphs. Out of all the teams participating in the Cricket World Cup, only two have emerged victorious. Australia accomplished the feat in 2003 and 2007, while the West Indies did so in 1975 and 1979.