Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif applauded star India batter Virat Kohli for scoring his 50th ODI hundred. However, Kohli was level with the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on 49 ODI hundreds coming into the 2023 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. Kaif also added that Kohli reaching the landmark at Tendulkar’s home ground with the great man sitting in the stands was probably the perfect stage to bring up the feat.
Speaking to Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif said Virat Kohli: “Look after the 2011 World Cup Virat carried his guru Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders saying, Sachin’s carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, and it’s now our time to do the same for him. After winning that World Cup is where his journey started. And now on that very same ground, he’s broken Sachin’s record in front of Sachin himself, and after breaking the record Virat also acknowledged Sachin and even went down on his knees to pay respects to his hero and the master of the game. This shows the nature and character of Virat Kohli.”
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He further added: “He’s a big player himself, but being a good human and giving due respect to his masters shows how disciplined he is. Also what makes this knock memorable is the stage on which he’s got it. There were conversations that his record in knockouts is not great, but he’s answered everyone by scoring a century, and ensuring that India qualifies for the finals.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif also applauded Rohit Sharma for leading from the front with the bat and setting the tone with his aggressive batting in the powerplay as well. He stated that it is Rohit’s approach that helps other batters take their time in the middle as well. However, India will take on Australia in the 2023 World Cup final on Sunday, November 19, in Ahmedabad.
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“Rohit’s gameplan this entire tournament has been to attack the bowlers, while targeting to hit a couple of boundaries in the very first over and put the opposition under pressure from the outset. The bowlers usually plan to try and swing the new ball and try to get the batter out while he’s not set-in, but Rohit’s attitude makes him look like he’s set-in even before the first ball is bowled. He knows he is the leader and he has to set the tone from which the team can come in and follow on. He’s scoring 70-100 runs in the power play, and setting the platform for players like Kohli and Iyer, so I am all praises for Rohit,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.
