Fans in Ranchi were witness to something special on Sunday evening. Virat Kohli was back to his old self as he slammed
his 52nd ODI ton for India in the first ODI against South Africa. Kohli is now in an interesting phase of his career.
Whether he will play the ODI World Cup in 2027 or not will depend on his form and fitness. Going by what was visible on
Sunday, Kohli is in top shape. The century came amidst reports of a frosty relationship between coach Gautam Gambhir and
the veteran duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
In fact, a video has been circulating where Kohli can be seen looking at his phone while passing by Gambhir, who is
staring at the India star. Many social media accounts interpreted it as Kohli ignoring Gambhir. However, this is not
true. The video tells only half the story. In a separate set of photos, it is clearly visible that Gambhir hugged Kohli
in the dressing room, appreciating the ton.
Here's the photos of Gambhir hugging Kohli.
Kohli on Sunday brought up his 52nd ODI century, amassing 135 off 120 balls to help India post 349 for 8 against South
Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar on Sunday hailed Virat Kohli as the greatest one-day cricketer of all time, saying the
Indian icon's world-record tally of centuries underlines his unmatched stature in the format.
"I don't think there's any doubt about that. I mean, it's not just me. I think those who have played with him and
against him, they all agree that he is the greatest in the one-day format," Gavaskar told Jiostar. "Look, you scored 52
hundreds. That actually sets you up right up there in stratosphere, so to speak." The former India captain pointed out
that even Australia's Ricky Ponting had acknowledged Kohli's brilliance.
"I just heard that Ricky Ponting said that Kohli's the best that he's seen in one-day cricket. I mean, when an
Australian captain says that - and everyone will agree that it is rare, very rare to get praise from an Australian -
that Kohli was the best, then I don't think there's any argument with that." Gavaskar said surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's
long-standing record of 51 ODI hundreds places Kohli in a league of his own.
"I'm also, you know, Sachin has been absolutely right up there with 51 hundreds. But when you pass the great Sachin
Tendulkar, then you know where you stand," he said.
Gavaskar said Kohli's unmatched success in one-day cricket comes from his clarity of temperament and an unshakeable
understanding of his own game.
"He understands his game very well, that's the key. I think as a batter sometimes you see other players and you think,
look I can bat like him. But no, he's got a different pickup, different way of bringing the bat speed down. You've got
to know what is your strength as a batter," he said.