World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli eyes mega milestone and other records that could be broken in IND vs SA clash

Having clinched a spot in the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, India will next face a confident South Africa outfit who are on a four-match winning streak in the tournament.

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India have been the most consistent team in the World Cup so far, having won all the seven matches they have played so far to be on top of the points table with 14 points. The Men in Blue could not ask for a better way to secure their spot in the semi-finals, with a dominant 302-run win over Sri Lanka.

South Africa, on the other hand, have largely had a group stage to remember so far, with their only blip being a 38-run defeat to Netherlands in a rain-affected match in Dharamsala.

However, the Proteas were made to sweat against the Pakistan pacers, before chasing down a target of 271 with just one wicket to spare.

And with the Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammad Siraj firing on all cylinders, South Africa cannot take the opposition bowlers lightly.

While the focus for the Men in Blue will be on maintaining their 100 per cent record, some players will also have their sights set on a few personal records.

Let’s take a quick look at some individual records that could be set in the India vs South Africa game:

—On Sunday, Virat Kohli will get another opportunity to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. Kohli had missed out on going level with the Master Blaster after having been dismissed for 88 against Sri Lanka in the previous game.

—Mohammed Shami needs just five more wickets to become the first Indian to take 50 wickets in ODI World Cups

—Kuldeep Yadav is the joint- most successful bowler in ODIs this year with 43 wickets from 24 matches. Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane has the same number of wickets from 21 matches, whereas Shaheen Afridi is next in the list 40 wickets from 20 matches. Mohammed Siraj is also closing in on Kuldeep Yadav, having taken 39 wickets in ODIs this year.

—Virat Kohli needs another 61 runs to surpass Kumar Sangakkara’s record of 1532 runs in the ODI World Cup. Kohli has so far scored 1472 runs in ODI World Cups.