As Virat Kohli achieved his 50th ODI century on Wednesday night, the Wankhede Stadium audience applauded him with a standing ovation. Unimaginably, he outperformed batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who had retired with 49 tons in the fifty-over style, with this incredible feat. Kohli bowed to Tendulkar, who was watching the game from the stands, as he reached the milestone.
India amassed a mammoth 397 for 4, the greatest total for any team in the history of the World Cup quarterfinals, thanks to 117 runs from Kohli. In the last over of their chase, New Zealand crumpled for 327, as Indian bowler Mohammed Shami took 7 for 57 to complete the feat for India once again. The score proved to be too much for them.
Regarding how the previous captain of India gets ready for these kinds of major games, batting coach Vikram Rathore said that Kohli understands exactly what his job is in the squad and doesn’t need the coaches to focus too much on him.
Rathour told the reporters, “He (Kohli) understands his cricket and we just help him prepare.”
“He comes to us if he needs something, and if not, we leave him alone. Now that he is aware of what has to be done, he is in a positive mental state and understands what to do. He bats in the manner that he desires,” he said.
Rathour went on to say that after Kohli’s century sent India into their first World Cup final in twelve years, there was joy in the locker room.
“What’s more, it was excellent to win the semifinal and go to the final. Naturally, Virat’s 50th century was a very memorable moment. He is still training hard for cricket and fitness. He said, “He still has a great desire to score more runs.
The former opener for India said that the key to the team’s success under Rohit Sharma has been their ability to carry out their plans effectively.
“They have all been putting in a lot of effort and getting ready for this competition. The fact that every game plan has been carried out flawlessly is encouraging. We have always seen of ourselves as having a very intelligent and settled batting group. We did a great job of adapting to the circumstances and settings,” he remarked.
