Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis refuses to congratulate Kohli on 49th century

DELHI: Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis on Sunday refused to congratulate India batting star Virat Kohli for equaling Sachin Tendulkar’s record by scoring 49th ODI hundred in the game against South Africa in World Cup 2023.

Birthday boy Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s world record for the most ODI centuries after his unbeaten 101 helped India crush the Proteas by 243 runs in Match 37 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Kohli, who is celebrating his 35th birthday, hit the century in 119 balls, including 10 fours, at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

India’s batting great Tendulkar took 451 innings to score his 49th ODI century while Virat Kohli achieved the feat in 277th innings in his 289th match.

Read More: Virat Kohli’s ton, Jadeja’s fifer help India to victory against South Africa

Notably, this was his 79th international century overall, taking a step closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries across formats.

Furthermore, Virat Kohli has thus far scored two centuries in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 and is the second leading run-scorer of the tournament behind South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.

Meanwhile, skipper Kusal Mendis was addressing a press conference on the eve of Sri Lanka’s next game against Bangladesh in Delhi when a journalist informed him of Kohli’s achievement and asked if he would like to congratulate the former India skipper.

Read More: Virat Kohli equals Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI centuries

However, the Sri Lanka captain refused and the video of the moment has gone viral on social media.

“Virat Kohli has just scored his 49th ODI ton. Would you like to congratulate him?” reporter asked.

The Sri Lankan captain seemed more concerned about Sri Lanka’s performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup and responded by saying: “Why would I want to congratulate him.”

Reporter: Virat Kohli has just scored his 49th ODI ton. Would you like to congratulate him?

Kusal Mendis: Why would I want to congratulate him
(Courtesy ICC)#CWC23 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/83mYiR1JqW

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 5, 2023

Sri Lanka have had a dismal campaign so far but have not yet been ruled out of the World Cup. Their push for the semi-final berth has taken quite a few twists and turns, with disastrous performances and injury setbacks.

Sri Lanka take on Bangladesh on Monday, November 6, in Delhi to keep their World Cup campaign alive.