Former England skipper Michael Vaughan lambasted former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez for his comments on Virat Kohli’s knock against South Africa in the Eden Gardens. The Indian batting maestro scored his record 49th ODI hundred in Kolkata to help the Men in Blue register a massive victory against the Proteas.
While Virat Kohli achieved another century in the One-Day Internationals, matching Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 hundred, some experts and fans called him for being “selfish” and “slow” towards the end of the innings taking his own time to score the hundred without accelerating enough in the death overs.
Taking his X handle, Michael Vaughan criticized Mohammad Hafeez for remarks on Virat Kohli’s innings, highlighting his form in the ongoing ODI World Cup and his record in International Cricket, calling the former Pakistan skipper’s comment “utter nonsense”.
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
“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.”
Virat Kohli reached his 49th ODI century during India’s World Cup 2023 group-stage match against South Africa at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to equal the record of Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI centuries. Virat Kohli scored 543 runs at an average of 108.60 and a strike rate of 88.29 and played some pivotal knocks for the team in the marquee event.
Virat Kohli Was Looking To Take A Single And Didn’t Put The Team First – Mohammad Hafeez
Earlier speaking to the media, Mohammad Hafeez claimed that Virat Kohli had slowed down in an attempt to tie the record held by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and achieve his own goal of scoring a 49th ODI century. Hafeez said that instead of settling for singles in the last overs, Kohli needs to have taken a few huge shots for the benefit of the team.
“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.
“Rohit Sharma could have played selfish cricket too, but he didn’t because he is playing for Team India and not for himself,” Mohammad Hafeez said.
Virat Kohli has been a pillar of the Indian batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, giving away no chance to the opponents.
The Men in Blue are unbeatable in the ODI World Cup 2023 after eight straight triumphs. They have all the necessary components in place going into the pivotal phase of the major event, and they intend to continue playing well as the tournament comes to an end.