Virat Kohli achieved his 53rd ODI century against South Africa, marking his second consecutive ton of the series. His performance included a controlled 93-ball 102 with seven fours and two sixes, following his previous innings of 135 runs in 120 balls at Ranchi.“Virat Kohli ko 100 ka nasha hi alag hai. Hum log centuries gin rahe hote hain, woh bas routine ka kaam samajh ke kar deta hai. Back-to-back 100’s for the King. 53rd ODI hundred. Virat hai toh mumkin hai. A brilliant century from Ruturaj Gaikwad as well making batting look very easy,” wrote former Indian opener Virender Sehwag on X.“On Sunday king plays for sure but on weekdays he plays with your plans. Brilliant 100 by Virat Kohli,” posted former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan on X.“A diamond is forever #No53 #ViratKohli,” posted Indian broadcaster Harsha Bhogle on X.“Back-to-back centuries. Beast mode activated #Kohli #IndvSA,” posted former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra.“Without Kohli cricket is nothing..pure vintage!,” posted former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif on X.“Form is temporary. Kohli is forever,” posted India’s star opener and recent ICC Women’s World Cup winner.Kohli’s record against South Africa in ODIs stands at 1,741 runs in 33 matches and 31 innings, with an average of 69.64 and a strike rate of 88.51. He has scored seven centuries and eight fifties against the Proteas, the most centuries by any batter in ODI format against South Africa.This marks Kohli’s 11th instance of scoring centuries in two or more successive ODI innings, with AB de Villiers following at six such instances. He also holds the record for most streaks of three or more successive innings with 50-plus scores in ODIs at 13, ahead of Rohit Sharma‘s 11 streaks.His recent performance includes three consecutive centuries against South Africa, including the 101- at Kolkata during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.In 2023, Kohli has accumulated 586 runs in 12 ODI innings, maintaining an average of 58.60 and a strike rate of 92.72, with three centuries and three fifties.Kohli is approaching the 28,000-run milestone in international cricket, needing just 90 runs to join Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. His current total stands at 27,910 runs from 555 matches at an average of 52.46, including 84 centuries and 144 fifties.In the Raipur ODI, India batted first after South Africa won the toss. After losing Rohit Sharma (14) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) early, Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad formed a 195-run partnership for the third wicket.Gaikwad scored 105 runs off 83 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. KL Rahul (66- off 43 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (24- off 27 balls) finished with a 69-run partnership for the sixth wicket.Marco Jansen was South Africa’s most successful bowler, taking 2 wickets for 63 runs.
