Virat Kohli expressed his regret to Ravindra Jadeja for taking the Player Of The Match award from him following his remarkable century against Bangladesh on October 19.
The cricket world was treated to another exceptional performance from the renowned batsman during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 clash with Bangladesh.
The day commenced with India successfully restricting Bangladesh to a total of 256/8. Notably, the Indian bowling attack, featuring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Shardul Thakur, all claimed two wickets each.
However, an unexpected turn of events occurred when all-rounder Hardik Pandya had to leave the field due to an injury while bowling his first over. In response, Kohli stepped in to deliver the last three deliveries of the over, marking his first foray into ODI bowling since 2017.
India’s chase began energetically with a strong start from captain Rohit Sharma, who scored 48 runs from 40 balls. After Sharma’s dismissal, Kohli entered the crease and promptly made his presence felt. He capitalized on two consecutive no-balls by striking a four and a six, setting the tone for his innings. Shubman Gill played an important role alongside him, contributing a stylish half-century before departing with 53 runs to his name.
Kohli continued to dominate, reaching his 69th ODI half-century in a mere 48 deliveries. This achievement propelled him ahead of Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene in the list of all-time run-scorers across formats. It also marked Kohli’s third half-century in four matches of the World Cup 2023.
As the match unfolded, Kohli and KL Rahul deliberately slowed down the run rate to ensure Kohli’s century. With a substantial 60 balls remaining, they had ample time to achieve this milestone. Kohli ultimately reached his 48th ODI century, leaving him just one short of Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries.
The match concluded with India comfortably securing a seven-wicket victory. During the post-match presentation, Mark Nicholas jokingly mentioned to Kohli that Jadeja had been the favorite for the Player Of The Match award, and Kohli humorously acknowledged “stealing” it from his teammate. Kohli expressed his apologies to Jadeja, “Well. Sorry for stealing it from Jaddu but I wanted to make a big contribution. I had a few fifties in World Cups but hadn’t converted them into hundreds. Stay till the end was my motto today,” said Virat.
