Team India batter KL Rahul has spoken out about what happened in the middle of the India versus Bangladesh 2023 World Cup match in Pune on Thursday, October 19, when Virat Kohli neared 100.
KL Rahul shared that Kohli had concerns about rejecting singles because he didn’t want to appear as someone solely focused on achieving a personal milestone. Nonetheless, KL Rahull managed to persuade him that their team had the match under control and it was worth going for it.
As India approached victory in a chase of 257, Kohli found himself in the 90s. With careful maneuvering and precise strokeplay, he reached his century by elegantly lofting Nasum Ahmed for a six.
The reaction to Kohli’s batting as he reached his ton was divided, with some believing he was eager to reach the personal milestone. KL Rahul spoke to Star Sports after India’s seven-wicket victory in the match about his chat with Kohli.
“He was confused, actually. He said, ‘it would not look too nice to not take a single, it is still a World Cup match. It’s a big stage, and I don’t want to look like I want to get a milestone’. But I said, ‘it is not won but we will still win it quite easily, so if you can get to the milestone, why not. You must try’. And he did that in the end and I wasn’t going to run singles!.”
KL Rahul
KL Rahul also minimized the criticism surrounding umpire Richard Kettleborough’s failure to signal a wide to a ball down leg in the penultimate over. He instead stated:
“It happened in the previous over as well, a slower bouncer that went for a wide. It’s a hard question to answer.”
KL Rahul
India’s victory over Bangladesh was their fourth in as many World Cup 2023 matches, extending their unbeaten run in the competition.
Virat Kohli sets new milestone, fastest to 26000 international runs
Kohli also became the fastest hitter to 26000 international runs with his 103* from 97 balls. He broke Sachin Tendulkar’s (600) innings record by reaching the milestone in 567 innings.
In addition, after his 48th ODI ton against Bangladesh in Pune, Kohli is only one ODI ton short of equaling Tendulkar’s record of 49 one-day centuries.