Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest batter to ever play the great game of cricket, and yesterday he added another feather to his cap.
During the ICC World Cup 2023 match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI hundred.
With this century, he equalled legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of most ODI centuries.
However, his innings received mixed reviews from fans.
Kohli took the crease after India made a rapid start, led by captain Rohit Sharma’s explosive 40 off 26 balls, boasting a striking 166.67 strike rate. While Kohli’s milestone equalled the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record, some fans criticized his innings as “selfish,” suggesting India could have reached a higher total had it not been for the dot balls he faced.
In the end, India posted a total of 326 runs in 50 overs, with Ravindra Jadeja contributing 22 off 14 in the final overs.
A section of Indian fans on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, expressed their discontent with Kohli’s approach.
Like this tweet if you witnessed the most selfish and stat padded knock of Cricket History.#INDvSA // #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/9Dwlizk8eb
— 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚 𝐘𝐚𝐠𝐚 (@yagaa__) November 5, 2023
One of the user compared Virat Kohli’s knock to Rohit Sharma’s blistering display at top.
• Virat Kohli – 10 Boundaries in 121 balls.
• Rohit Sharma – 8 Boundaries in 24 balls.Just look at the difference and appreciate the statpadding of Selfish Kohli. 🙂💔 pic.twitter.com/IY5hMdb4Ow
— 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝕏 (@ImHydro45) November 5, 2023
What a selfish player man , this is unbelievable. No matter if he scores a century now , he has easily cost 30 runs to the team with those dot balls .
— ` (@FourOverthrows) November 5, 2023
On the other hand, another segment of the Indian fanbase defended Kohli’s knock, asserting that the pitch conditions were challenging, and the 35-year-old batter adhered to the team’s strategy.
I have given by observations right after the toss on how difficult a pitch is this to bat on and people criticising kohli that he was slow and india should have got to 360. In my opinion no team can get to 326 in this pitch. Master class innings from kohli. Happy birthday GOAT.
— Prasanna (@prasannalara) November 5, 2023
We saw "Centuries" go from being the most important thing (because Virat was struggling to get it for 3 yrs) to becoming a "Selfish" thing in the eyes of Indian public (because Virat started making them again).
They way this Man controls the mood of his countrymen…
— t (@WinterxBack) November 5, 2023
Following the innings, Kohli acknowledged the tricky batting conditions, emphasizing that the pitch slowed down and the ball began to grip. He revealed that the team’s directive was for him to anchor the innings till the very end.
Selfish Knock?🤦😅
If @imVkohli hadn't batted till the end on this tough pitch, India would have been all out below 250.#ವಿರಾಟೋತ್ಸವ೨೦೨೩ #ViratKohli𓃵 #KingKohli #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/EGhjr7sEGt
— MNV Gowda (@MNVGowda) November 5, 2023
With this century, Kohli has accumulated a total of 119 scores of 50 or more in ODI cricket, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 118. However, Tendulkar still holds the record with an impressive 145.
Furthermore, Kohli achieved another milestone by crossing the 6000-run mark in ODIs at home during the match against South Africa. He currently ranks second on this list, with Tendulkar leading the way.
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