I am never going to be as good as Tendulkar, but special to equal my hero's record: Kohli
Kolkata, Nov 5: Despite building his own lofty peaks, Virat Kohli remains a fan of Sachin Tendulkar.
On the day when he equalled his idol's record of 49 ODI hundreds, 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, Kohli stuck an unbeaten 101 off 121 balls that formed the fulcrum of India's 326 for 5 and the eventual 243-run win over South Africa in their World Cup match here on Sunday.
"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," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
He further dwelled on his adulation of Tendulkar.
"It's a very emotional moment for me, 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," added Kohli.
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.
Kohli said he has been enjoying his cricket at the moment.
"I'm enjoying playing cricket, that is more important to me than phases. I'm just happy that God has blessed me with that enjoyment. I'm just happy that I'm being able to do what I have done over the years," he said.
The former Indian captain said playing against South Africa was a motivation in itself for the entire side.
"It was a big game, probably playing the toughest team in the tournament. There was a motivation to do well. Because it happened on my birthday, it becomes special and the people made it more special for me," he added.
Kohli said the rollicking start openers Rohit Sharm and Shubman Gill gave helped the team a lot in setting a fine platform.
He said India's total on the day was above par.
"People from the outside look at the game in a bit of a different way. When the openers start well, you feel it is a belter but the conditions slowed down drastically.
"I was happy form that perspective. Once you got more than 315, we knew that we were above par," he added.
Congratulations Team India for winning South Africa by 243 runs.
— Priya❤️ FOLLOW BACK ❤️ (@priya_m01) November 5, 2023
Virat Kohli levelled 49th ODI century record with God Of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar.
Man of the Match The King Kohli beat SA by 18 runs#INDvsSA #GOAT𓃵 #selfish #jaddu
#ViratKohli #RohitSharma #viratkholi pic.twitter.com/SZpueAu4vt
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BJP MLA Sharanu Salagar booked in cheating case
Bidar (PTI): A case has been registered against BJP MLA Sharanu Salagar in connection with a complaint over a Rs 99 lakh cheque that was dishonoured, for allegedly failing to return money he had taken as a loan during the 2023 Assembly elections, police said on Monday.
The MLA, who is said to be a distant relative of the complainant, had sought financial assistance to meet election-related expenses and received the amount in multiple instalments between January and February 2023, assuring repayment within six months, they said.
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However, the complainant waited for two years, but even after repeated reminders when the MLA did not show any signs of returning the borrowed amount, a meeting was convened by elders on September 14, 2025, where in the MLA acknowledged the liability and issued a cheque for Rs 99 lakh, the FIR stated.
The FIR further alleged that when the complainant’s family members visited the MLA’s residence on September 16 to confirm whether the cheque could be deposited, the MLA allegedly behaved aggressively and issued threats.
The complainant has claimed that the alleged threats were recorded and submitted as electronic evidence along with the complaint.
However, when the cheque was presented through the complainant’s bank on September 18, it was returned the next day, saying “account closed”, police said.
Following the cheque dishonour, a legal notice was issued to the MLA on September 22, seeking payment within the stipulated period, but there was no response, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the MLA at Basava Kalyana police station on December 27 under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 314 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 318 (cheating), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said, adding that the matter is under investigation.
