• By Ankit Bisht
  • Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:41 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Virat Kohli has been in sublime touch in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as he slammed his second century of the tournament and equalled legendary Sachin Tendulkar's 49 tons record against South Africa at Eden Garden in Kolkata.

Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 101* off 121 balls while his century (103*) against Bangladesh came off 97 balls as he hit the six to take his side over the line. On both occasions, Kohli has been targeted for being selfish and playing for his tons. After the match against South Africa, former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez called Kohli 'selfish' and blamed him for playing for individual milestones.

"I saw sense of selfishness in Virat Kohli's batting and this happened for the third time in this World Cup. In the 49th over, he was looking to take a single to reach his own hundred and he didn't put the team first," Hafeez said on Top Cricket Analysis show.

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In response, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad reverted to Hafeez's allegation and said Kohli is 'selfish' but to win for his country and set new milestones.

"Hearing funny arguments about Virat Kohli being Selfish and obsessed with personal milestone. Yes Kohli is selfish, selfish enough to follow the dream of a billion people, selfish enough to strive for excellence even after achieving so much, selfish enough to set new benchmarks, selfish enough to ensure his team wins. Yes, Kohli is selfish," Prasad wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Hafeez further mentioned Rohit as an example, saying that the Indian captain decided to play for the team rather than himself. Rohit missed out on hundreds on two occasions -- against Pakistan and England -- and got out due to his attacking approach.

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"Rohit Sharma could have played selfish cricket too, but he didn't because he is playing for Team India and not for himself. You have to give credit to Rohit Sharma. The way he is sacrificing his innings with right intent is commendable. The way he batted in the first six overs. He gave that sucker punch to South Africa. He knew pitch will get difficult and must attack when the ball is new and hard. Your captain can also play like you but his goal is bigger than his personal achievement. Rohit can also hit centuries," Hafeez said.

The veteran batter added that Kohli's intent after scoring 97 shifted to reaching ton the three-figure mark shaped his knock differently and made him look 'selfish'.

"I am not saying Virat didn't played well. He batted beautifully till he reached 97. The last three singles, he took, I am talking about the intent. He was looking for singles instead of hitting boundaries. Who cares if he gets out on 97 or 99. Team should always be above than personal milestone," he added.

"People from the outside look at the game in a bit of a different way. When the openers start well, it feels it is a belter and everyone has to play that way. But as the ball got older, the conditions slowed down drastically," he said.

"The message was clear, keep batting around me. I was happy from that perspective. Once we got more than 315, we knew that we were above par. I’m enjoying myself, playing cricket all over again, that is more important to me than phases," Kohli explained further.