Indian veteran pacer Ishant Sharma has shared an Interesting incident involving former Indian skipper Virat Kohli and legendary Indian pacer Zaheer Khan during India’s tour of New Zealand in 2014. Virat Kohli, who is currently in West Indies played exceedingly well for the Indian team in the 2nd test to score his first overseas century in five years.
The Indian batting maestro became the first-ever player in the game’s history to score a hundred on the 500th game for the country. The former Indian skipper has shown excellent composure and temperament against West Indies to score his first overseas hundred in the last five years.
Ishant Sharma who is currently part of Jiocinema, Recalled the interesting incident involving Virat Kohli and Zaheer Khan during the India tour of New Zealand in 2014, where the former Kiwis skipper Brendon McCullum scored a triple hundred after being dropped by Virat Kohli of Zaheer Khan’s bowling.
“We were playing in New Zealand. Brendon McCullum had scored 300 runs and when Virat Kohli dropped a catch, I remembered that this happened around lunch. Virat said sorry to Zak and Zak said, ‘No worries, we’ll get him out.’ During tea, Kohli said sorry again and Zak told him not to worry. On the third day when Kohli apologized during tea, Zak told him, ‘You’ve ended my career,” Ishant Sharma said.
Virat Kohli, who is known as the one finest fielder in world cricket dropped the New Zealand wicket-keeper during the early part of the second innings, which was highly punished by the Blackcaps batter, and later the hard-hitting batter was dismissed for 302 runs by Zaheer Khan.
The Catch Was Dropped And The Runs Were Scored – Zaheer Khan
Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who was also part of the conversation, clarified that he didn’t use the exact words as he said that only two players have gone on to score three hundred in International Cricket after being dropped initially and said that Virat Kohli was particularly not happy with the dropped catch as McCullum went on to score big runs.
“I didn’t say that. I said that there were only two players, the first was Kiran More who dropped Graham Gooch and he scored 300. After that, it’s Virat Kohli who dropped a catch and someone scored 300. Then, he told me not to talk like that, naturally as he wouldn’t have felt good about that. The catch was dropped and the runs were scored,” Zaheer Khan said.
Left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan picked up a five-wicket haul in the match, as Brendon McCullum’s triple century proved too costly for the Indian team as the Kiwis managed to draw the game against the Indian team after being bowled out 192 runs in the 1st innings. Ishant Sharma was the star performer for the team in the 1st innings as he picked 6 wickets in the game.