In the wake of veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez’s outrageous claim that Virat Kohli’s historic 49th century at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata last Sunday was “selfish,” India batting great Gautam Gambhir made a telling remark on the former India captain’s approach in his unbeaten 101, believing that it could have hurt India.
In the 2023 World Cup 2023, the Men in Blue have been unstoppable, winning eight straight games, including their toughest challenge against South Africa. The Proteas were defeated by 243 runs in Kolkata, where Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI record for most centuries.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, Gambhir said, “It was important for Kohli to bat deep and I feel it was at the end, just the last 5-6 overs where he slowed down a bit, maybe because he was nearing a century. But I believe there were already enough runs on the board. It could have hurt India if they were batting on a good pitch.”
He added, “You got to give credit to Shreyas Iyer for the way he kept taking chances and took the pressure off Virat Kohli. Both batted really well in the middle as the best time to bat was with the new ball. They expertly negotiated Keshav Maharaj and giving him just one wicket when Jadeja picked five was brilliant.”
India’s next match will be against the Netherlands on Sunday in Bengaluru.