Virat Kohli notched up his 51st ODI ton as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday. Pakistan were bowled out for 241 batting first and India chased the target down inside 43 overs.
There were many positives for India from the game. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer both scored some crucial runs. While Gill scored 46 runs, Iyer scored 56 runs and played their parts in the run-chase for India.
Virat Kohli walked out to bat at number three after the fall of Rohit Sharma. He paced his innings beautifully and got to his century by hitting the winning runs for his team.
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It was a calculated innings from the former Indian skipper who gave another example of how to go about chasing a target. In the end, his unbeaten knock confirmed India's victory.
Former Indian and Pakistan cricketer praised Virat Kohli's knock by praising different attributes of his batting. Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu said that Kohli will score another 10-15 hundreds and play for another two to three years in ODI cricket.
"After this hundred, I can say it with conviction, he will play for the next 2 or 3 years and he is getting another 10 or 15 hundreds. That you can take it from me." he said on Star Sports.
"Next, it was Shoaib Akhtar who hailed Kohli as a modern-day great and a superstar. Again, if you tell Virat Kohli that he has to play against Pakistan, he will come fully prepared, and then he will show. Hats off to him. He is like a superstar. He is a white ball run chaser. He is a modern-day great. There is no doubt about it," he said via Economic Times.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra in his own unique style praised Kohli's knock. He said that the former Indian skipper steps up in crucial games for his team. He further said that Kohli has answered all his critics with his century against Pakistan.
"Jahan matter bade hote hain, wahan Kohli khade hote hain (Kohli is always standing in the middle on the big stage). Questions were raised about his form, intent and fitness but he answered all the questions stupendously - 82nd international century and 51st ODI century. He has a personal enmity with Pakistan. Kohli's Virat avatar is suddenly seen against this team," he said on his YouTube channel.
Next it was Sanjay Bangar who praised Kohli's innings. Bangar worked closely with Kohli during his stint as India's batting coach. The former Indian batting coach spoke about the Indian batters's technique against the Pakistan spinners in particular.
“Well, I think he waited for the ball today. He didn’t really, was on the front foot all the time. He waited for the ball to come to him, was aggressive self, was willing to cover the infield as well. But here against spin, what I saw in the first half of his innings, he was playing a lot of the back foot. And then once he got that confidence, then he started coming forward. He came forward to left arm spin and off spin. But against leg spin, he was happy to stay back. But once he sorts of figured him in, then he started getting on to the front foot as well. So, starting off the back foot and then gradually going on to the front foot as well.” Bangar said on Jio Hotstar.
Lastly, it was former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez who said that Kohli is a high-stage performer. He further praised Kohli's mindset to win matches for Team India.
"Virat is high stage performer. He looks out for big occasions and performs. Whenever India plays against Pakistan, you get a chance to star in those matches. Shoaib Malik bowled well against India, that's where he became a star, Shahid Afridi became a star when he hit sixes against India. Virat Kohli keeps waiting for those occasions, he waits to cash in on those opportunities. He keeps a positive mindset, he thinks that 'I will win the match for India. I will not only play, but I will win the match for my country.' And that's why he is the greatest batter in the world," Hafeez said on 'Game On Hai'.
India plays against New Zealand next Sunday and will hope that runs continue to flow from Kohli's bat in another crucial contest in the Champions Trophy.
