'He doesn't need to break Sachin's record'

>'To think that he got 49 ODI hundreds and equalled Sachin and in 175 less innings is unbelievable.'

'I think he has been working extra hard to equal Sachin's record. That's done now and it has happened at a really good time at the tournament for him,' Ricky Ponting says about Virat Kohli equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries with a brilliant individual ton against South Africa on his 35th birthday on Sunday.

'That might be a bit of a monkey off his back,' Ponting tells the ICC.

'One more game to go and then they head into the semi-finals. It was an almost perfect day for Virat and a great day for India.'

The century at the Eden Gardens was Kohli's second of World Cup 2023 and fourth overall in all 50 over World Cup.

'There is no doubt he is the absolute best and I have said that for a long time,' Ponting noted.

'He didn't need to equal Sachin's record, he doesn't need to break the record. If you look at his overall batting record it is incredible.'

'To think that he got 49 ODI hundreds and equalled Sachin and in 175 less innings is unbelievable.'

• World Cup 2023