Cometh the hour, Cometh the King! Deemed as the chase-master, Virat Kohli yet again slammed a century to complete a successful run chase for India. Kohli slammed his 48th ODI ton as India sealed their 4th win in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. After a span of 8 years, Virat Kohli hammered a century in the World Cup.
Tasked to chase 257 by Bangladesh, India got off to a strong start courtesy of two fiery knocks from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. But it was Virat Kohli who shined brightly today. He slammed a four and a six on his opening four balls as he cruised to a fine century. And with his century he is now just 1 century short of matching with the great Sachin Tendulkar with 49 ODI tons.
Most ODI Centuries: Virat Kohli hits 48th ton, one away from Sachin Tendulkar
Most World Cup hundreds for India
7 – Rohit Sharma
6 – Sachin Tendulkar
4 – Sourav Ganguly
3 – Shikhar Dhawan
3 – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli in ODIs at the MCA, Pune
61(85) vs AUS, 2013
122(105) vs ENG, 2017
29(29) vs NZ, 2017
107(119) vs WI, 2018
56(60) vs ENG, 2021
66(79) vs ENG, 2021
7(10) vs ENG, 2021
Total: 8 inns, 551 runs at 78.71, SR: 94.34
After the departure of Shubman Gill, Kohli and KL Rahul continued to stitch a fine partnership, rotating strikes and keeping the scoreboard ticking. As soon as Kohli reached the 80-run mark, he shifted tides and went full throttle. He continued to slam some big shots and in the end, reached his century by hitting a massive sixer. Kohli remained unbeaten on 103 from 97 balls in a majestic innings. He went on to hit 6 fours and 4 sixes in the process.
“Sorry for stealing it (PoTM award) from Jaddu, I wanted to make a big contribution. I have had a few fifties in World Cups, haven’t really converted them. I just wanted to finish the game off this time around and hang on till the end which is what I have done over the years for the team. I was telling Shubman, even if you dream about a situation like that, you’ll just go back to sleep, you won’t think it’s real. It was a dream start for me, first four balls, two free-hits, a six and a four. Just calms you down gets you into the innings,” Kohli said after the match.
“The pitch was pretty good and it allowed me to play my game – just time the ball, hit the gaps, run hard and get the boundaries whenever needed. There’s a great atmosphere in the change room, we are loving each others’ company, the spirit is there for everyone to see on the field. That’s why it’s translating like that on the field. We understand it’s a long tournament, you need to create some momentum in the change room for the guys to come out and play like this. It’s a special feeling playing at home, playing in front of all these people, we just want to make the most of it,” Kohli concluded.
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