On November 5, the cricket fraternity took to social media to wish Virat Kohli on his birthday and later congratulate him for equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI centuries. While history was made at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were gearing up for their clash in Delhi which will be crucial for their Champions Trophy 2025 qualification chance. In the pre-match press conference, Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Kusal Mendis was asked by a journalist whether he would like to congratulate Kohli.
“Why would I congratulate him?,” Mendis said as he felt it was an irrelevant question at the press conference.
Bangladesh have been knocked out of World Cup 2023 semi-final race. On the other hand, Sri Lanka are almost out of contention as well with just two wins from seven games and a poor net run rate (NRR). In the absence of an injured Dasun Shanaka, Mendis is leading the side which was bowled out for a paltry 55 by India at Wankhede Stadium on October 31.
Currently, Sri Lanka are ranked seventh on the points table. They will need to hold on to that place if they are to qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025 which will be played in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma-led India retained their top spot on the points table with the eighth consecutive win of the tournament. Kohli was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ for his unbeaten 101 from 121 balls including 10 fours as India beat South Africa by a record-breaking margin of 243 runs.
Kohli paid tribute to his childhood hero Tendulkar after the match as he said in the post-match presentation, "It is all too much for me to take in now, to equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. But I am never going to be as good as him.”
"It's a very emotional moment for me, I know where I come from. I know the days where I have been watching him on TV, and just to get that appreciation from him means a lot to me," added the 35-year-old.
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