'Never going to be as good as Sachin Tendulkar, but...': Virat Kohli after 49th ton | Cricket World Cup

On the day when he equalled his idol's record of 49 ODI hundreds, Virat Kohli unabashedly admitted that he will never be in the league of the iconic Mumbaikar, who enthralled the cricket world with his extraordinary skills for decades.

On his 35th birthday, an emotional Kohli who struck an unbeaten 101 said during 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,"

Calling it an emotional moment, Virat added, "I know where I come from. I know the days where I have been watched him on TV, and just to get that appreciation from him means a lot to me"

Tendulkar had taken to X (formerly Twitter) to extend his appreciation for Kohli matching his feat.

"Well played Virat! It took me 365 days to go from 49 to 50. I hope you go from 49 to 50 and break my record in the next few days. Congratulations," said Tendulkar.