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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Special prayers offered at mosques across Karnataka for well-being of Indian armed forces
Bengaluru, May 09 (PTI): Special prayers were offered at mosques across Karnataka on Friday for the well-being of the Indian armed forces against the backdrop of the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Mosques that come under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Board, as well as other mosques offered prayers.
"In these tough times, we stand with our country. We support our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), our Home Minister (Amit Shah) and stand with the government. We offered special prayers today at all the mosques across the state for the well-being of our Indian armed forces, their families and the people of this country.
"May Allah give success to our armed forces in their mission," Mufti Mohamed Maqsoon Imran, Chief Imam of Jamia Masjid, Bengaluru, told PTI.
The move came a day after Karnataka Waqf and Minority Affairs Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of the Waqf Board to organise special prayers at mosques across the state for the well-being of Indian soldiers who took part in 'Operation Sindoor' carried out to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.
Recently, special prayers were organised for the armed forces in all temples under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, on the instructions of Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
#JaiHind 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/1MXdeAJCDZ
— B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (@BZZameerAhmedK) May 9, 2025
