Virat Kohli literally owns the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. In eight matches so far, he has scored four half-centuries and two centuries. Virat Kohli’s last ton came against South Africa, where he tied the lead with the great Sachin Tendulkar in scoring 49 ODI centuries. However, former Pakistan batsman Mohammed Hafeez made a strange comment after the ton. “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 wanted to take a single to reach his own hundred and he did not put the team first. ” he said on the Top Cricket Analysis show.
The analysis did not apply to several former cricketers such as Venkatesh Prasad and Michael Vaughan.
Mohammed Hafeez took another indirect jibe at India’s star batsman Virat Kohli, but former England cricketer Michael Vaughan came to Kohli’s defense with a hilarious reply.
During England’s match against Netherlands in the ongoing World Cup at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday, Ben Stokes hit a crucial ton to take the Three Lions to a score of 339. His 108 in 84 balls set the tone of the match allowing England to secure their second win in the tournament.
While praising Stokes for delivering an exceptional performance under pressure, while also taking an indirect jibe at Kohli and calling his ton in Kolkata against South Africa a “selfish approach”, Hafeez posted on benstokes38 Good under pressure who anchored the innings where required with aggressive intent to gain maximum runs for the team to win at the end. A pure example to distinguish a selfish versus selfless approach.”
Great innings from Stokesy @MHafeez22 .. Like Virats on a tricky pitch in Kolkata against a better attack.. https://t.co/KFpNIafgVK
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 8, 2023
Reacting to Hafeez’s comments, Vaughan claimed that Hafeez’s constant jibes at Kohli stem from the Indian batsman bowling him during an India-Pakistan match in 2012.
“It seems to me @MHafeez22 that you were bowled by @imVkohli!!! Is this the reason you are constantly coming at him,” Vaughan wrote on X.
Seems to me @MHafeez22 you were caught off guard @imVkohli !!! Is this why you’re constantly hitting on him? #CWC2023 #India #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/m3BOaCxOB7
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 8, 2023
Virat’s defeat against South Africa was very special as he created history on his 35th birthday by scoring his 49th ODI century, which equals Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI tons, and Ravindra Jadeja’s five-wicket trek, a rampant India rioting at the Eden Gardens, South Africa were decimated by a whopping 243 runs on Sunday in the battle for one and two in the points table.
This was India’s eighth win in as many matches and maintained their unbeaten streak in the tournament so far. The Men in Blue will now play against the Netherlands in the final group stage match on Sunday.
With ANI inputs
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