'Kohli said it won't look nice if I deny single for 100': Rahul ends ...

Oct 20, 2023 06:22 AM IST

Virat Kohli notched his 48th ODI century, guiding India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the World Cup on Thursday. Kohli's stellar performance saw him finish unbeaten on 103 from 97 deliveries as India reached 261/3 in just 41.3 overs in response to Bangladesh's underwhelming 256/8 across their 50 overs. Providing support at the crease was KL Rahul, who ended his innings on an unbeaten 34.

India's Virat Kohli celebrates reaching his century and winning the match with KL Rahul(REUTERS)

The 34-year-old reached his century in a rather dramatic fashion; Kohli had a discernible change in strategy as he neared the three-figure mark in Pune. With 19 required to win and exactly as many needed for Kohli to reach his hundred, the batter opted to deal in boundaries to reach his milestone. The Player of the Match was seen turning down opportunities for easy singles to retain strike. It appeared that Kohli might miss his chance with a couple of extras thrown in, but he remained patient and eventually launched a full toss from Nasum Ahmed into the stands to reach his milestone, sparking jubilant celebrations in Pune.

Following the win, Rahul opened up on his conversations with Kohli as the latter was nearing his century. The star batter revealed that Kohli was pragmatic over going for his ton; the 34-year-old believed it might not be a good look to go for an individual milestone in a World Cup match.

“He was confused, actually. He said, 'it would not look too nice to not take a single, it is still a World Cup match. It's a big stage, and I don't want to look like I want to get a milestone'. But I said, ‘it is not won but we will still win it quite easily, so if you can get to the milestone, why not. You must try’. And he did that in the end and I wasn't going to run singles!” Rahul told Star Sports.

Rahul was also questioned about a rather unusual decision to not call a wide down the leg side by umpire Richard Kettleborough in the final over. India required 2 runs to win at the time with Kohli needing three to reach his hundred. Rahul, however, chose not to make sides over the decision. “It happened in the previous over as well, a slower bouncer that went for a wide. It's a hard question to answer,” said Rahul.

Kohli now stands just one century away from equalling the world record of 49 ODI hundreds held by his compatriot Sachin Tendulkar. Across all formats, this marked Kohli's 78th international century, but it was only his third in World Cups since 2011. With this victory, India maintain their second position in the points table with eight points from four games, trailing behind New Zealand based on net run-rate.