“Kohli said it won’t look nice if I deny being single for a century.” Rahul’s controversial “must try” suggestion
In the India vs. Bangladesh World Cup 2023 match, Virat Kohli hit his 48th ODI century, although he had to deny singles to get there. It was Rahul’s idea, he claimed.
In the World Cup on Thursday, India defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets with ease thanks to a 48th ODI century from Virat Kohli. Bangladesh scored a pitiful 256/8 over 50 overs, but India responded with 261/3 in just 41.3 overs thanks to a brilliant innings from Kohli, who finished unbeaten on 103 from 97 deliveries. KL Rahul offered assistance at the crease, finishing his innings with a 34-run score without losing.
The 34-year-old made his century quite dramatically in Pune, as he clearly changed his approach as he got closer to the three-figure milestone. In order to achieve his milestone, Kohli chose to deal in boundaries, as he needed 19 to win and the same number to reach 100. In order to maintain strike, the Player of the Match was spotted declining easy single opportunities. With a few extras tossed in, it looked like Kohli could miss his opportunity, but he persevered and eventually reached his milestone with a full toss from Nasum Ahmed into the stands, setting off joyous celebrations in Pune.
After the victory, Rahul talked about the talks he had with Kohli as the latter approached 100 runs. The standout batsman disclosed that Kohli was realistic rather than aiming for a century, as the 34-year-old thought it might not seem good to pursue a personal best during a World Cup match.
He was, in fact, perplexed. It would not seem good to not take a single; after all, this is still a World Cup match, he remarked. It’s a big platform, and I don’t want to appear as like I’m trying to reach a goal. However, I countered, saying, “If you can reach the milestone, great, because even if we don’t win, we will still win pretty easily.” Try it, please. In the end, he accomplished that, and I decided not to run singles. Star Sports was told by Rahul.
In the last over, umpire Richard Kettleborough made an odd choice to not call a wide down the leg side. Rahul was also questioned about this judgment. At the time, India needed two runs to win, while Kohli needed three to reach 100. But Rahul declined to take a stance on the matter. It was a slower bouncer that went for a wide in the previous over as well. Answering such question is difficult,” Rahul remarked.
Nearing a significant milestone, Kohli
Kohli is now only one century away from tying his countrymate Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds. This was not just Kohli’s third World Cup century since 2011, but also his 78th in all other formats. With this victory, India, who now trail New Zealand in terms of net run-rate, are in second place in the points table with eight points from four games.
