Virat Kohli on Sunday scored his 34th ODI century, further stamping his authority as the best batsman of modern era across formats with a sublime knock of 160 not out in the third ODI against South Africa in Cape Town.
Kohli's 159-ball stay powered India to 303/6, putting the hosts under pressure as they chased their first win of the series after losing the first two ODIs.
The crowd at Newlands saw Kohli hitting 12 fours and two sixes in his knock that also showcased his supreme fitness levels. It was also Kohli's second century in the series.
Understandably, the knock drew attention of cricket lovers across the world as fans, experts as well as former and current cricketers took to Twitter singing praises of India captain - so much so that Michael Vaughan called Kohli the "greatest ever ODI player" while the BCCI tagged its captain as 'Run Machine'.
Stepping out on the field and scoring centuries has become a regularity for @imVkohli. Congratulations on your 34th ODI ton! Keep the runs flowing always. #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/4eyuMUpl12
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 7, 2018
Run machine! It's another century for @imVkohli! It's his 2nd of the series against South Africa, and his 34th in ODI cricket! pic.twitter.com/NGfYmXppJH
— ICC (@ICC) February 7, 2018
Man or machine? @imVkohli gets to his 34th ODI ton. Stand up and salute the master #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/LYnYT8k6Bx
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 7, 2018
Yet another 100 for @imVkohli ... the hunger & consistency is remarkable ... the Greatest ever ODI player ??? #SAvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 7, 2018
Virat Kohli - batting average
53.40 in Tests
57.34 in ODIs
52.86 in T20Is
--
55.45 in all international formats#SAvInd— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) February 7, 2018
Virat Kohli reaches a 100 through running only. Overall 150 runs in the inns of which only 50 have come in the boundaries. Freak. #RSAvInd
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) February 7, 2018
Virat Kohli finishes unbeaten at 160 off 159 balls - THE LONGEST EVER INNINGS for India outside opening position. Previous: 154 balls Azharuddin vs England, The Oval, 1986. #RSAvInd
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) February 7, 2018
No words to describe Virat Kohli ‘s consistency. Other good batsman look really ordinary once you watch him bat. What a joy to watch him score hundreds for fun. 34 of them now and this , one of his best #INDvSA
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) February 7, 2018
Amidst the runs that Virat Kohli scores, don't lose sight of his incredible fitness. His boundary percentage is quite low which means he runs a lot between wickets. And still has an excellent strike rate.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 7, 2018
Another masterclass from the modern-day master. What a knock @imVkohli. Amazes me every time I watch him bat. #SAvIND
— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) February 7, 2018
Well done the great @imVkohli for 34th hundred excellent yar love to watching your batting
— Aftab Alam 55 (@aftabalam55786) February 7, 2018
Such a Inspiration for Millions...
not bad being aggressive, but make sure ur aggression is not wasted on things which dont matters....
VIRAT KOHLI your Inspiration for MILLIONS....@imVkohli #ViratKohli #INDvsSA
— Rohit Jaiswal (@rohitjswl01) February 7, 2018
Virat Kohli has brutally kept going and walks off undismissed.
A whopping 160 and #TeamIndia have posted 303/6 after 50.
It's going to get sluggish so the bowlers will have to adapt accordingly. #SAvIND#OrangeArmy#LiveOrange— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) February 7, 2018
Well played @imVkohli One of the best ODI 100’s I have seen. Played with a lot of maturity and responsibility especially when the team was under pressure.
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) February 7, 2018
Run machine @imVkohli kya baat hai Teri, yeh bandha alag level ka player hai @BCCI #IndvsSA
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) February 7, 2018
Kohli joined Shikhar Dhawan after Rohit Sharma fell for a duck and both played beautifully to set the foundation for a big score. The 140-run stand was broken by JP Duminy as he dispatched Dhawan for 76.
Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav all departed without contributing much, as South Africa threatened to wipe out batsmen at the other end. But the India captain found great company in Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The pair added unbeaten 67 runs for the seventh wicket.
Kohli hit Kagiso Rabada for a six and a four off the last two balls of the innings to take India over 300.
