Virat Kohli had an interesting revelation following his spectacular performance against Pakistan in Colombo.
Kohli, who smashed his 47th ODI century, had an intriguing thought after his match-winning knock. He admitted that the prospect of playing another game within 24 hours was on his mind while he was at the crease.
The India-Pakistan match was interrupted by rain on Sunday, forcing it to be rescheduled for the reserve day. Consequently, the Men in Blue now face the challenge of playing two 50-over games consecutively, with their next Super Four game against Sri Lanka scheduled for Tuesday at 3.00 pm IST.
Virat Kohli becomes fastest batter to reach 13000 ODI runs
Kohli's incredible form shone brightly as he amassed an unbeaten 122 runs from just 94 deliveries, adorned with nine boundaries and three sixes. He also etched his name in the record books by becoming the fastest batsman to reach 13,000 runs in 50-over cricket, accomplishing this milestone in just 267 innings, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
In a post-match statement, Kohli emphasized the importance of sufficient recovery time between two matches. He said, “I was pushing for those runs and happy for it, but I was thinking I need to play at 3 pm tomorrow. Luckily, we are Test players, I've played over a 100 Tests so I know how to come back and play the next day.”
For his outstanding unbeaten TON, Virat Kohli bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia beat Pakistan by 228 runs in Super 4s 👏 👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 11, 2023
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kg7Sh2t5pM#AsiaCup2023 | #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/Zq0WVZK3XG
Jokingly, Kohli expressed his exhaustion and requested a short interview, saying, “I was going to ask you to keep the interview short, I'm very tired.”
India's focus now shifts to their upcoming clash against Sri Lanka, and they will hope for Kohli's swift recovery as they aim to maintain their winning streak and inch closer to the Asia Cup 2023 final.
Virat Kohli's batting prowess was not limited to boundaries and sixes, he also showcased his ability to rotate the strike effectively. Out of his impressive 122 runs, 68 came from running between the wickets, including 38 singles and 15 twos.
He highlighted the importance of this facet of his game, stating, “I take a lot of pride in trying to push for easy runs, pushing for a double is as easy as they come.”
In the game against Pakistan, India posted an imposing total of 356/2 in their 50 overs. Pakistan, in response, could only manage 128 runs, with injuries preventing Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah from batting. Kuldeep Yadav stood out among the Indian bowlers, claiming five wickets for just 25 runs.
