Image Credit- ICC
The 25,000 people crammed into the HPCA Stadium stood
up. with the same enthusiasm that India as a whole displayed when chanting
“Saaachin! Saachin!” One shot separated Virat Kohli from tying his
idol’s record for the most ODI hundreds.
The run-up to Kohli’s century on Sunday added
excitement to India’s pursuit, just as it did with his 48th hundred in Pune
late last week against Bangladesh. Kohli needed to hit 18 of the 19 runs needed
to beat New Zealand with four overs remaining.
He made a terrific sprint at this point, knocking
Trent Boult in front of square for six and following it up with a bullet drive
down the ground for four. The stadium was packed, and there were raucous cheers
and some giggles in the team dugout when Ravindra Jadeja provided a textbook
forward defence off the final ball to keep Kohli on strike for the following
over.
It appeared as though Kohli might repeat his
performance from three nights prior, but on 95, needing just five runs to reach
the target of 274, Kohli pulled a slower ball from Matt Henry to Glenn Phillips
at deep midwicket.
At first, Kohli threw himself back in shock before
leaving to a jubilant response. No. 49 might have to wait, but considering his
previous performance, it seems imminent. Given that India had limited batting
after No. 7, the team’s success depended significantly heavily on this
particular innings. In addition, India still needed 83 runs from 87 balls with
five wickets left when Suryakumar Yadav was run out, a dismissal that Kohli
appeared to have been involved in.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, was at a loss for
words when asked about Kohli’s domineering streak. His total score in the World
Cup so far is 354 runs in five innings, including three half-centuries and a
century.
“There’s nothing much to say, honestly. We’ve
seen him do this for so many years,” Rohit said. “Such a calm head.
He’ll back himself to do the job. Towards the end there was a bit of pressure,
we lost a couple of wickets there, but Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja pulled us
back.
Rohit’s opposite number, Tom Latham, was equally
effusive in his praise “As a captain, you have to be proactive but also
work to your plans,” he said at the presentation. “Think about
match-ups. Virat has a response to most plans.”
Late last week, in Pune, Kohli discussed his desire to
succeed after reaching his hundred and hitting a six to defeat Bangladesh. In
order for Kohli to reach his milestone, there was some talk that India and
Kohli could have to give up a few decimal points of their net run rate.
On Sunday, he came quite close to finishing the
course. A spot in the semifinals began to loom over the horizon as the team
prepared for their sixth victory.