Virat Kohli has become the first Indian to appear in four ODI World Cup semifinals. Before Kohli, the record was held by Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni who have played three World Cup semi-finals. Kohli achieved the feat at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15.
Kohli has appeared in four ODI World Cup semifinals in a row starting in 2011 when India went on to lift the trophy.
Tendulkar made his first World Cup semifinal appearance in the 1996 edition of the quadrennial event. In 2003, he made his second appearance when India lost to India in the final. His third and final World Cup appearance was in 2011.
Dhoni’s first World Cup semifinal appearance was in 2011 where he led India to a title win. In 2015, India lost to Australia in the semifinal when Dhoni was captain. The wicketkeeper-batter played his third semifinal in 2019 on English soil under the leadership of Kohli when India lost to New Zealand.
In the semifinal clash against the Kane Williamson-led side on November 15, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. Rohit did not make any changes to the winning combination.
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
“We are gonna bat first. Looks like a good pitch. Looks like on the slower side. Whatever we do, we need to do well. I think it was back in 2019 when we played the semis. NZ is one of the most consistent sides. Very important day. Constantly, talking about how important it is about turning up on that day. It is about controlling the controllables. Same team,” Rohit said at the coin toss.
Before the match, Kohli met Tendulkar and former England footballer David Beckham at the stadium.
Kohli went on to break the record for most ODI centuries held by Sachin Tendulkar. Battling the hot and humid weather of Mumbai, he scored 117 runs from 113 balls featuring nine fours and three sixes.
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