‘Beautiful gesture’ – Fans react as AB de Villiers congratulates Virat Kohli on scoring 49th ODI hundred against South Africa

Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI hundred. The Indian batter was not at his fluent best against South Africa. On a tricky wicket in Kolkata, Kohli struggled to rotate strikes in the middle overs. On a slow and dry surface, Virat took his time to score runs. Virat stayed till the end and anchored the Indian innings. It helped other batters to bat freely on the other end.

After getting a brisk start from Rohit Sharma, Virat anchored the Indian innings. Shreyas Iyer batted well in tough conditions despite struggling at the start. The spinners got a lot of help from the surface, which made the stay of the batters tough in the middle. Despite the tough nature of the wicket, India posted 326 runs in their 50 overs. It was a huge score in Kolkata.

Virat scored his second century of the tournament. The Indian number 3 scored an unbeaten 101*(121) which included a lot of running between the wickets. In the process, Virat created history as he became just the second batter to score 49 hundred in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar. Eden Gardens applauded the knock of Kohli with a huge roar. The atmosphere was electrifying.

AB de Villiers congratulates Virat Kohli on the milestone

The crowd went berserk as Virat equalled Sachin. The Eden Gardens crowd which has witnessed several such historic moments, witnessed another historic moment. The knock of Virat was praised by many. The commentators and experts raved about the innings of Kohli. Fans enjoyed the innings of Kohli and brightly celebrated the birthday of Virat.

The former South African cricketer and former Virat’s teammate, AB de Villiers, was also in the stadium. Before the match, De Villiers met Virat and wished on his birthday. After the match, De Villiers went down to the middle and congratulated Virat on scripting history. The former teammate of Virat hugged him and sent the congratulatory message. With both India and South Africa already having qualified for the semifinal, the crowd enjoyed the match and witnessed several special moments.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –

Kohli scored 100 on his birthday pic.twitter.com/OGRYmvMF0P

— भाई साहब (@Bhai_saheb) November 5, 2023

Beautiful Gesture ❤️

— Shashank Singh (@RccShashank) November 5, 2023

• Played with SR of 75
• Trying to run out Shubman first
• created pressure on Iyer, Rahul & Surya and they threw their wickets.

Never saw any other cricketer to play such selfish inns for personal milestone 👎#INDvsSA #INDvSA #SAvsIND #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/GkJtZMLsQ9

— Nikhil Patidar Patel (@NikhilPatidarr) November 5, 2023

Two legends of the game celebrating each other’s milestones! Congrats to both AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli on showcasing their incredible talent on the cricket field.

— Stewie (@StewzieGriffin) November 5, 2023

He’s such a lucky charm for Kohli!

— Shahzeb Khan (@theshahzebkhan) November 5, 2023

Dream run in the world cup pic.twitter.com/leSTRseqXq

— Secular Chad (@SachabhartiyaRW) November 5, 2023

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and 49 have a special bond.#INDvsSA

— djay (@djaywalebabu) November 5, 2023

Virat to All of us pic.twitter.com/I3ORicSzS9

— Vikram Nayak (@allsportjacks) November 5, 2023

Thoda slow khele but thike century ho gayi

— Yash Jadhav (@farzi_rtist) November 5, 2023

Two goats 🐐 in one pic

— Ayush (@guj_se_hu_mc) November 5, 2023