Former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan strongly criticized former Pakistani batsman Mohammed Hafeez for labeling Virat Kohli as “selfish” following Kohli’s century against South Africa. In the match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, Virat Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries with his score of 101 not out off 121 balls on a challenging pitch.
While Kohli’s scoring rate slowed down in the latter part of his innings, with his last 26 runs coming off 26 balls, he played a crucial role in taking India’s total to over 320, which proved to be well above par as South Africa was eventually bowled out for just 83 runs.
Mohammed Hafeez disagreed with Kohli’s approach, accusing him of selfishness. Hafeez argued that in the 49th over, Kohli prioritized reaching his century over the team’s needs. In contrast, he commended Rohit Sharma for playing selflessly for the team.
In response, Michael Vaughan dismissed Hafeez’s claims as “utter nonsense.” Vaughan pointed out that Kohli was the last anchor batsman for India at that stage, allowing other aggressive players like Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja to attack the Proteas bowlers.
Come on @MHafeez22 !!! India have hammered 8 teams playing great cricket .. @imVkohli now has 49 tons and his last was an anchor role innings on a tricky pitch .. His team won by over 200 !!!! This is utter nonsense .. #CWC2023 #India #Pakistan https://t.co/Foh3hhz3RE
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 7, 2023
Currently, Virat Kohli ranks as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 543 runs, only 7 runs behind Quinton de Kock. However, Kohli’s remarkable average of 108 far surpasses De Kock’s 68.
The entire nation, along with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, eagerly awaits Kohli’s 50th ODI century milestone during the knockout stages. India’s remaining group-stage game is scheduled against the Netherlands on Sunday in Bangalore.
