Tag: Virat Kohli

KOLKATA: India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli on his 35th birthday equalled legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of most ODI centuries in the ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against South Africa.

Kohli conceded 119 deliveries to reach the record-equalling hundred, getting to the landmark in the 49th over of India’s innings by working Kagiso Rabada’s length delivery to cover for a single at the iconic Eden Gardens.

India’s batting great Tendulkar took 451 innings to score his 49th ton while Virat Kohli achieved the feat in 277th innings in his 289th match.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

Notably, this was his 79th international century overall, taking a step closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries across formats.

Furthermore, Virat Kohli has thus far scored two centuries in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 and is the second leading run-scorer of the tournament behind South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.

Kohli has thus far enjoyed a purple patch in this year’s global event, where the right-handed batter averages more than hundred and has a strike rate of around 85.

He has also scored more than 500 runs in an ODI World Cup for the first time in his prolific career.

Virat Kohli’s record century came in what has been a successful year for the star batter. He has scored more than thousand runs with the help of five tons in 2023, at an average of more than 70 and a strike rate of nearly 100.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

It is the eighth time in Kohli’s career that he has scored more than thousand ODI runs in a year, surpassing Tendulkar’s record of seven.

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 101 turned out to be the centrepiece of tournament hosts India’s 326/5 in their 50 overs.

He shared a third-wicket partnership of 134 with Shreyas Iyer (77) after India captain Rohit Sharma (40) had won the toss on what turned out to be a tricky pitch.

READ: Kohli scores record ton to power India to 326 against South Africa

Virat Kohli said he was enjoying the “special feeling” of playing in a World Cup on home soil after his unbeaten century guided India to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in their fourth match of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Kohli’s 48th ODI century left him just one shy of equalling Indian great Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 ODI hundreds.

Kohli made 103 not out with a six against spinner Nasum Ahmed, the shot also ending the match in a finish worthy of a Bollywood movie as India reached a target of 257 with more than eight overs to spare.

He faced 97 balls, including six fours and four sixes, with this century his third score in excess of fifty in four innings following contributions of 85 and 55 not out over Australia and Afghanistan.

“I’ve had a few fifties in World Cups and haven’t converted them so I just wanted to finish the game off this time around,” Kohli said afterwards.

“The pitch was pretty good, it allowed me to play my game and just hit the gaps.”

India have now won all four of their matches in the tournament to date.

“There is a great atmosphere in the changing room, we’re loving each other’s company, the spirit is there for everyone to see on the field,” said Kohli, who played alongside Tendulkar in the India team that defeated Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup 2011 final in Mumbai.

“We understand it’s a long tournament and you need to create some momentum for the guys to come out and play like this.

“It’s a special feeling playing at home in front of all these people and we just want to make the most of it.”

This was Virat Kohli’s first century in the World Cup since his 107 against Pakistan during the 2015 edition in Adelaide, with the 34-year-old posting seven fifties at the tournament prior to Thursday’s hundred.

Virat Kohli was helped on his way, however, by KL Rahul, who kept himself in check during a run-a-ball 34 not out.

Two balls before he reached his century, a Nasum delivery fired down the leg side was not signalled a wide — although any controversy was short-lived given the ensuing six.

“He (Kohli) was confused, he said ‘it’ll not look too nice not to take the single, it’s still a World Cup, and it’s still a big stage. I don’t want to look like I am just trying to get the milestone’,” Rahul said.

“But I said, I mean it is not won but still I think we’ll win quite easily, so if you can get to the milestone why not, you must try. And he did that in the end. I wasn’t going to run the singles anyway.”

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, who made 53, Gill and put on 88 for the first wicket with Rohit before a stand of 44 with Kohli, said batting with the duo was an education.

“I think there’s a fine line between sometimes being too aggressive or going in the shell, especially playing big games.

“But I think the way they play, the way their mindset is playing those big games in the World Cup is what I try to learn.”

READ: Pakistan geared up for Australia challenge in ICC World Cup 2023

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has claimed a career-best second position, only behind Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill has scored 154 runs, with the help of two half-centuries in the ongoing ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and has been rewarded in the latest ICC ODI Rankings, jumping one spot to reach the second position.

Indian opener has closed the gap at the top down to only 103 rating points now with Babar Azam leading with 863 rating points, while Gill with 759 points.

Along with Shubman Gill, India’s captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli also improved their rankings after India’s dominant batting display in the Asia Cup 2023, which cruised them to the final without a single defeat in the tournament.

Kohli and Sharma jumped two spots to reach eighth position and ninth position in the latest ODI batting rankings respectively.

One the other hand, Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq dropped one place to fifth and fellow opener Fakhar Zaman lost three spots and is now sitting at 10th spot.

Meanwhile, in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, Pakistani pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah made substantial gains after their impressive performance in the Asia Cup 2023.

Haris Rauf is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets, consequently jumping eight places to reach 21st position, while Naseem Shah picked seven wickets and jumped 11 spots to 51st.

Indian left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2023, bore fruits for his performances and rose five places to reach the seventh spot.

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood solidified his position at the pinnacle of ODI Bowling Rankings after a three-wicket haul in the first match of their ongoing series with South Africa.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Zaman Khan links up with Pakistan squad in Colombo

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli spoke highly of Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, and termed him “the top batsman in the world”.

Virat Kohli shared his first encounter in Manchester with Babar Azam when Imad Wasim introduced Babar to Kohli.

“The first interaction I had with him [Babar] was during the 2019 [ODI] World Cup after the game in Manchester. I’ve known Imad [Wasim] since the Under-19 World Cup, and he said Babar wanted to have a chat,” Kohli said.

He further talked about the meeting and the friendship they shared since that first meeting.

“I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day one, and that hasn’t changed,” he added.

Kohli then termed Babar as the top batter across the globe and claimed that he enjoys watching Babar play.

“He is so down to earth character, he will go a long way as a player. He is probably the top batsman right now across all formats. He performs so consistently and I’ve always enjoyed watching him play.”

Babar Azam is currently sitting at the top of the ODI batting ranking, the position which was once held by Virat Kohli. Both batters are celebrated across the globe as the best batters of this era.

However, despite the comparison and debates regarding who is better, the cricketers always displayed mutual respect for each other.

Last year, in July Babar came out in support of Virat with a motivating tweet, “This too shall pass. Stay strong” and received an overwhelming response from the cricket fans.

Virat, also responded to Babar’s supportive tweet for him in a challenging phase of his career, while also wishing latter the luck. “Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best,” Virat replied to Babar in his tweet.

They will come face to face in the Asia Cup, when Pakistan and India will collide at Kandy on September 2.

The Asia Cup is scheduled to treat the fans with as many as three India-Pakistan games if both teams reach the final.

The arch-rivals will also feature in the most anticipated clash of the ODI World Cup at Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14.

PORT OF SPAIN: Star batter Virat Kohli broke the shackles as he brought up his much-awaited away century in Tests on the second day of the ongoing second Test against West Indies.

Virat Kohli made his 500th international match memorable as he ended his away Test century drought with a sensible knock on a challenging surface against West Indies.

The right-handed batter resumed India’s first innings at 288/4 and was just 13 away from a much-awaited ton.

Kohli continued to bat with utmost caution and soon achieved the landmark when he drove one off Shanon Gabriel in the 91st over of India’s first innings.

When this story was filed, Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 112 off 191 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries.

Notably, Virat Kohli’s last away Test century came against Australia in Perth when he scored a magnificent 123.

He then scored two more in the next year – 254* against South Africa and 136 against Bangladesh – before enduring a nerve-testing all-format century drought.

Virat Kohli had to wait for about three years for his 71st century which finally came against Afghanistan in the dead rubber fixture of the Asia Cup 2022.

His overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, also stood his ground firm and notched up a brilliant half-century and is currently unbeaten on 51.

On the opening day of the second Test, the visitors, after being put into bat first, had a solid start to their innings.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Rohit Sharma raised 139 for the first wicket before Jason Holder got the breakthrough for the West Indies by dismissing the former on 57.

Jaiswal’s departure sparked a collapse in India’s top order and the visitors, as a result, slipped to 182/4 with captain Sharma (80) also making his way back to the dugout.

The pair of Virat Kohli and Jadeja then recovered India from a top-order collapse and took them to 288/4 at the stumps.

READ: Virat Kohli on brink of 76th ton as India on top in second West Indies Test

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja combined in an unbroken century partnership for India to regain the ascendancy over West Indies at 288 for four at stumps on Thursday, the opening day of the second and final Test.

After being put in to bat at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, India started strongly before faltering in the afternoon session.

After tea, Kohli played with the exaggerated caution of a man keen to leave a significant mark on the 500th international match. His  unbeaten 87 (161 balls, eight fours) with the support of Jadeja (36 not out) put India back in command.

Their stand of 106 frustrated the Caribbean team in a long final session with captain Kraigg Brathwaite resorting to his own loopy off-breaks in search of a breakthrough.

It was a different tempo at the start, with skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal picking up where they left off in the first Test.

At Windsor Park Stadium a week earlier, they put on 229 for the first wicket to lay the platform for a crushing victory by an innings and 141 runs in three days.

This time they blazed 121 by lunch and added another 18 in the afternoon before Jason Holder finally brought much-needed discipline to the West Indies bowling.

He was rewarded with the wicket of Jaiswal for 57 via a low catch at deep gully by debutant batsman Kirk McKenzie.

That was the trigger for a mini-slide as Shubman Gill went caught behind to Kemar Roach for 10, his second consecutive failure at number three. Sharma followed, bowled  for 80 by a perfectly pitched delivery from left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican.

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane seemed to have weathered the mid-afternoon storm only for Shannon Gabriel, the second change to the West Indies from the first Test, to uproot Rahane’s off-stump on the stroke of tea.

“It felt like the heavens came down because not much was happening out there,” said an exhausted Gabriel,  reflecting on his lone wicket of the day.

“We were all over the shop in the first session and worked out our plans a lot better at lunch and got the reward. On a pitch like this, with hardly anything in it for the bowlers, we’re happy to have taken four wickets.”

India are giving a debut to right-arm fast-medium bowler Mukesh Kumar in place of seam bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

This is the 100th Test match between the West Indies and India since the first was played in Delhi in  November, 1948 at the start of the Caribbean side’s historic inaugural tour to the sub-continent.

Despite being winless against their opponents for more than 21 years, the West Indies still lead India 30-23 in Test victories across the 99 matches.

READ: Russell’s 70 in vain as Washington Freedom sink LA Knight Riders in MLC

India’s star batter Virat Kohli drew a comparison between the biggest rivalry in cricket – India versus Pakistan – and the recently-held FA Cup final, asserting the former to be louder.

Virat Kohli with her wife Anushka Sharma watched the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium between Manchester City and Manchester United and cheered for the Premier League winner.

Their team carried on their brilliant form to outclass United 3-2 and clinched the FA Cup title.

Following the conclusion of the action-filled final, Virat Kohli, in a video statement released by Manchester City, shared his thoughts on the experience and the electrifying atmosphere at the stadium.

“The atmosphere during India’s premier matches clashes, like with Pakistan, is similar to what fans experience during the football games here [in the UK],” said Virat Kohli.

“India versus Pakistan during a World Cup would be louder, but the passion and support of fans here is incredible to watch,” he added.

Virat Kohli further revealed that he closely follows City matches closely, especially after his interaction with the club’s manager Pep Guardiola.

“Watching Manchester City play is a great thing because I follow the team pretty closely ever since I had a chat with Pep to understand his mindset,” Kohli concluded.

It is worth mentioning here that Manchester City, fresh with two title-winning victories, will lock horns with Inter Milan in the final of the UEFA Champions League on June 10.

Meanwhile, start Indian batter Virat Kohli will turn up for India in the World Test Championship Final against Australia at Lord’s, scheduled to commence on June 7.

Kohli took a break from India’s scheduled training session for the WTC Final to attend the highly-anticipated FA Cup final.

READ: Babar Azam nominated for ICC Player of the Month for May 2023

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and legenary all-rounder Shahid Afridi termed star batter Babar Azam as the best cover drive operator in the world.

Shahid Afridi, while speaking to a local TV channel here was asked to share his opinion regarding the long-standing debate as to who plays the best cover drive between Babar Azam, India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s Steven Smith.

The star all-rounder thus picked the best cover drive operator; ranking Babar Azam the first.

“Babar Azam, Virat [Kohli] and then [Steve] Smith,” Shahid Afridi responded while answering the question.

“Babar plays a beautiful cover drive,” he added.

The two cricket superstars of the contemporary era, Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, enjoy a healthy rivalry not just in terms of batting records and performances, but also in the sophistication of their strokes.

They have led to intense debate among fans and experts, as to who is the better batter and more aesthetically pleasing while playing his shots.

A similar kind of question was posed to South African veteran David Miller, who is playing for Gujrat Titans in the ongoing Indian Premier League, and he replied very confidently.

In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, he was asked to choose between Babar and Kohli’s cover drive. “Probably, I would go with Babar,” he answered.

Earlier, former England captain Nasser Hussain had also made a similar claim and rated Babar’s cover drive ahead of Virat’s.

“I’m going to be biased. Sorry Indian fans but I’m gonna go with Babar Azam. I nearly went Kohli because I think Kohli is slightly different. Kohli has a bit more of a flick of the wrist of it. Babar Azam has just a lovely little [touch],” he had said.

“If I was teaching any young girl to watch, I’d ask her to watch Meg Lanning. I’m teaching any young boy to watch a cover drive. I would say watch Babar.” he added.

Pakistan all-format skipper Babar Azam has taken world cricket by storm and claimed several records across formats since his debut in 2015.

Recently, the 28-year-old scripted history during the fourth ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi, becoming the fastest batter to complete 5,000 runs in One-Day cricket.

He shattered the world record, previously held by Hashim Amla, taking only 97 innings to reach the landmark, four less than Amla’s 101 innings.

READ: Mark Coles reaches Pakistan for second stint as women’s team’s head coach 

LUCKNOW: Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was fined on Tuesday for the second time in this IPL season after a post-match altercation with former national team-mate Gautam Gambhir.

Both were docked their entire match fee, the Indian Premier League said, while Naveen-ul-Haq was fined 50 percent of his for breaching the league’s code of conduct.

Kohli and Afghan bowler Naveen were seen having sharp words on the field during a tense match between Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants on Monday.

Kohli, who has often run into trouble with his aggressive approach, had to be restrained by opposition batsman Amit Mishra during the match. Bangalore eventually won by 18 runs.

Afterwards, Lucknow’s Kyle Mayers had to be led away from an exchange with Virat Kohli before other players tried unsuccessfully to stop a visibly furious Gautam Gambhir, Lucknow’s team mentor, from confronting him.

Kohli took to social media on Tuesday with a cryptic Instagram post quoting a famed Roman emperor and philosopher: “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. – Marcus Aurelius.”

Gambhir and Kohli, who played together when India won the 2011 World Cup, had a shouting match before Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis intervened.

The former national team-mates were also involved in an ugly on-field exchange in a 2013 IPL match.

The 41-year-old Gambhir has become an MP for India’s Hindu-nationalist ruling BJP party since retiring from cricket in 2018.

This was Virat Kohli’s second offence this season after he was fined 10 percent of his match fee for his conduct during Bangalore’s loss to Chennai Super Kings last month.

Despite being one of the best batsmen of the modern game, “King Kohli” and Bangalore have never won the Indian Premier League.

He quit the RCB captaincy at the end of the 2021 season.

He went through an extended batting slump in 2021 and 2022 and lost the Indian captaincy, one of the most high-pressure jobs in world sport.

Virat Kohli, 34, has spoken about his mental health struggles during his dry phase, including how he had been “snappy” to his Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma.

He has had numerous run-ins with opposing players and was once reprimanded after hitting a plastic chair with a bat following his dismissal during an IPL match.

Former New Zealand cricketer and renowned commentator Simon Doull criticised India’s star batter Virat Kohli for slowing down to reach his personal milestone during the Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture.

Kohli played a flamboyant half-century knock amid his side’s fixture against Lucknow Super Giants and propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to a massive total of 212/2.

His magnificent knock, however, failed to impress Kiwi commentator Doull, who accused the former of slowing down to reach his half-century after a flying start.

“Kohli started off like a train, he was going hammer and tongs, playing a lot of shots,” stated Doull during commentary.

“From 42 to 50, he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that in this game anymore. You’ve just got to keep going especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You’ve got to keep going,” he added.

https://twitter.com/HaseebarslanUK/status/1645462221915561985

 

Earlier, during the recently-held eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Doull passed alike remarks for Babar Azam and asserted that Peshawar Zalmi’s captain slowed down to reach his maiden PSL century.

“Rather than putting the team first… the last little while, that’s all that been happening. Rather than looking for boundaries, still, so much firepower to come. Hundreds are brilliant, stats are great, but it has to be team first,” Doull said.

The Kiwi commentator has been in hot water since then and received major backlash from Babar’s fans.

READ: Fakhar Zaman joins training camp for New Zealand series