Virat Kohli hits 48th ODI century as India thrash Bangladesh by 7 wickets

India continue to cruise in the World Cup, chasing down 257 with ease

Oct 20, 2023 - 11:06
Virat Kohli hits 48th ODI century as India thrash Bangladesh by 7 wickets
An ecstatic Virat Kohli after completing his century and taking India to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Pune on Thursday.

When Virat Kohli reached his 48th ODI century, his first at this World Cup, he raised his hands in celebration and pounded the air with a clenched fist.

As India sped to a seven-wicket victory to make it four wins in a row on Thursday, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

With Kohli on 97, two runs were needed off of 54 balls. Nasum Ahmed attempted to hit the leg-side with his first delivery, but umpire Richard Kettleborough rejected it due to a wide, maybe due to Virat Kohli's irate gaze from the striker's end.

The following one was delayed too long, but Kohli and KL Rahul may have bowed to the demands of the stadium as a whole.

In order to get a six off the following delivery, Kohli produced a wide swipe over deep mid-wicket. Mission accomplished; the crowd erupted in jubilation.

For Kohli, the opening four balls resulted in two easy knocks, including a six and a four. He never turned around.

"I wanted to contribute significantly. In World Cups, I've hit a couple fiftys, but I haven't really converted them. This time, I simply wanted to hold on until the end of the game, added Kohli.

In reality, Kohli concentrated on maintaining the strike in the last stages of the chase because he was so keen to reach the hundred. Kohli was at 70 when India finished the first 37 overs on 223/3. After that, he made every effort to obtain the ton. When Kohli scored the winning runs, the crowd raised the roof.

The 257-run target was never going to be difficult, but Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill took a brave stance and made it their own.

The squad has been successful in chasing down targets in all four of their games by maintaining a delicate balance between aggression and avoiding becoming secluded.

After Rohit and Shubman left, Kohli was in charge. A pulled six over long leg was part of Rohit's innings, but three balls that were later attempted to be replayed were lost. However, Kohli was prepared to ignite the scene.

It was anticipated to be a 300-plus wicket, but Bangladesh fell far short.

India kept up their reputation as being unstoppable and unbeatable after Rohit and Shubman gave them a fun start.

The contest began with a small crowd, but as dusk fell and the pursuit got underway, the crowd grew until it reached 33600+, according to the official record.

Without Shakib-al Hasan, Bangladesh never got going despite their openers putting up a record-breaking 93-run stand.

After Rohit established the pace, Kohli accelerated his Lamborghini with dexterity and unwavering swagger.

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