It is not often that when a player hits a match-winning century in a run-chase in a high-stakes game at an ICC event, that hundred is not considered one of his career’s best. But that is the level Virat Kohli operates at. The modern-day master has as many as 51 one-day international centuries to show, the latest of which he claimed against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. As a matter of fact, the entire current Pakistan team has a total of 34 ODI tons (all 15 players combined). However, Ravichandran Ashwin doesn’t feel the Dubai special wasn’t even Kohli’s top five ODI knocks!
Ravichandran Ashwin on Virat Kohli’s hundred vs Pakistan
Following the Indian thrashing of Pakistan by six wickets, Ravichandran Ashwin shared his views on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’. He dissected the game alongside journalist Vimal Kumar, who went on to question Ashwin if he rates Kohli’s 100* off 111 balls as high as one of his best ODI knocks. Hearing this, Ashwin completely brushed aside the question and instead waxed lyrical on Kohli’s grandeur ODI career.
“What are you joking? (When asked if this Virat Kohli’s knock was one of his top five ODI hundred). You are making fun now. This is surely a class hundred. But he has played some of the best knocks, and you are considering this in his top five?” said Ashwin.
Ashwin asserted that Virat Kohli loves dominating the 50-over format. Ashwin is absolutely on point as well, considering Kohli is now also the fastest-ever to complete 14,000 ODI runs, beating both Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara in the elite list. The recently retired Test great claimed that Kohli has come up with even better knocks in his 299-match ODI career.
“I have always said that Virat Kohli’s engine room is ODI cricket. I am glad that he is playing ODI cricket and this could well be his second coming. He’s just getting started. This innings was good, no doubt about it. But if you say this was one of his best innings, I have seen many of his great knocks and I don’t think this was one of his top five. But this will give him a lot of confidence and in my view, more special things will happen for him in the future.”
