Kohli falls halfway to record 50th ODI ton at World Cup

BENGALURU (AFP) - India's Virat Kohli reached his 71st ODI fifty in Sunday's World Cup clash against the Netherlands but was unable to push on for an all-time record 50th century in the format.

Kohli surpassed South Africa's Quinton de Kock (591) as the leading batsman of the 2023 tournament with 594 runs before left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe bowled the star batsman for 51.

The Bengaluru crowd went silent after anticipating Kohli's 50th ODI ton after he equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 in the team's previous win over South Africa.

India, who have eight wins out of eight matches at the World Cup, will face New Zealand in the first semi-final at Mumbai on Wednesday.