(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez made a statement on air in which he mentioned that Virat Kohli’s century innings against South Africa in the 37th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Sunday was ‘selfish.’
Kohli while playing against the Proteas reached his 49th ODI century, smashing 101 runs off 121 balls with the help of 10 fours, helping India reach a score of 326 runs in 50 overs.
Kohli only managed to score 12 runs off the last 12 deliveries he played in the overs between 45-50, leaving Hafeez to call his innings selfish as he thinks that the Indian batter seemed focused on completing his milestone instead of playing aggressively.
“I saw a sense of selfishness in Virat Kohli’s batting and this happened for the third time in this World Cup. In the 49th over, he was looking to take a single to reach his own hundred and he didn’t put the team first,” Hafeez said on a Pakistani news channel.
“Rohit Sharma could have played selfish cricket too, but he didn’t because he is playing for Team India and not for himself,” he added.
Kohli’s hundred on Sunday also led to him equalling the record of his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 ODI centuries. Kohli is now only one century away from breaking that long-lasting record. Additionally, he turned 35 on Sunday and became only the seventh batsmen in the history to score a hundred in ODIs on his birthday.
Kohli’s steady knock and Ravindra Jadeja’s finishing touches at the end ensured a target of over 320 runs for the Proteas on a slow pitch. South Africa once again showed other teams that they are not a good chasing side as they got all out in just 27.1 overs at a score of 83, resulting in a crushing 243-run defeat.