After Virat Kohli‘s game-changing century helped India defeat South Africa by 17 runs in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday, 30 November, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan lauded the veteran batsman.
With his 52nd ODI century and the record for the most centuries in a single format by a batter, Kohli continues to captivate fans and selectors amid continuous debates regarding his ODI future ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
If you watch the innings, you’ll see that Virat Kohlis played two roles: one as an aggressive batsman during the powerplay and another as wickets were dropping following the powerplay. After that, he became into a stubborn batter who wasn’t prepared to give up his wicket. On his YouTube channel, Pathan stated, “This happens when you have a lot of experience, and Virat Kohli has a lot of experience and he has fitness.”
The innings revealed two different aspects of the former Indian skipper, according to Pathan.
Pathan, though, believed that some of India’s other hitters passed up chances to have an influence. Returning to the ODI team, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored just 8 off 14 balls, and Washington Sundar, who had been moved up to No. 5, went out for 13. Despite this, Pathan acknowledged his happiness at the senior batters of India’s ongoing excellent play.
Washington Sundar and Ruturaj Gaikwad squandered their chances. One thing is evident about the Indian team’s performance in this game: I am truly appreciating the form that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are carrying. “I hope they keep playing as much as they can,” Pathan remarked.
Kohli struck 135 off 120 balls with 11 fours and seven sixes, while Rohit Sharma added 57 off 51 balls with five fours and three sixes. A vital second-wicket partnership of 136 runs was cobbled together by the two iconic batters. With an additional 60 runs, Indian stand-in captain KL Rahul assisted India in reaching 349/8 in 50 overs. Kuldeep Yadav took 4/68 to end South Africa’s innings as the Men in Blue bowled with discipline and patience in the later stages of the innings.
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