Kohli first to climb Mount 50 in ODIS

Couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record: Tendulkar applauds special ton

- SRIRAM VEERA

THERE WAS THE leap, the roar and the emotion-draining sinking to his knees before Virat Kohli made the gesture that brought the biggest roar from the packed stands: He raised his hands, and bowed to Sachin Tendulkar, who clapped from the stands. He then blewa kiss to his wife, and had regained his control by then, enough to even wink at someone on the field.

The 50th ODI hundred shone Kohli's with impeccable sense of timing: at Tendulkar's home ground, under the master's gaze, from flesh-and-blood as well as the statue, in a World Cup semifinal with his family and the cricketing world, including Viv Richards, watching.

Befittingly, the hundred came up with a shot that had disappeared for a while - the signature swat-flick, one of the great shots of modern-day cricket. A short while later, Kane Williamson and came enveloped Kohli with a big hug that said much about their relationship. "The great man (Tendulkar) just congratulated me. It feels like a dream. Too good to be true. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It's very difficult for me to express it. My life partner, my hero --he's sitting there.And all these fans at the Wankhede," Kohli said after the ton.