Virat Kohli sealed his century and steered his team to a seven-wicket triumph against Bangladesh in the ICC World Cup 2023 match. The cricketer, batting at 103* off 97 balls, ultimately sealed the deal with a resounding six, igniting celebration among his fans worldwide.
However, it was a collective effort of several people to ensure that he could reach his century. Let’s take a look.
1. Umpire Richard Kettleborough & The New Law
As India was just two runs away from winning the match and Virat Kohli was standing at 97, Nassum Ahmed delivered a leg-side delivery. Virat Kohli shifted his position and the ball brushed against his pad and reached the wicketkeeper.
Nonetheless, the umpire refrained from calling it a wide because The Marylebone Cricket Club instated a rule change on October 1, 2022, to accommodate batsmen’s movements.
“In the modern game, batters are, more than ever, moving laterally around the crease before the ball is bowled. It was felt unfair that a delivery might be called ‘Wide’ if it passes where the batter had stood as the bowler entered his/her delivery stride. Therefore, Law 22.1 has been amended so that a Wide will apply to where the batter is standing, where the striker has stood at any point since the bowler began their run-up, and which would also have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting position.”
2. KL Rahul
The wicketkeeper-batsman tactically declined singles to ensure Virat Kohli remained the focal point of the batting. When the team required 15 runs to win and Virat Kohli was at 85, KL Rahul displayed unselfish sportsmanship by holding back on singles, thereby granting Virat Kohli the chance to reach his century.
“I denied single to Virat Kohli. He said it would be bad if you didn’t take singles and people would think I’m playing for personal milestones. But I said we are comfortably winning, you complete your century.”
3. The Audience
Lastly comes the crowd, who were constantly cheering for the cricketer when he was playing on the field. The crowd’s enthusiastic cheers resonated through the stadium as the cricketer took to the field, delivering a powerful wave of motivation. With every milestone, the thunderous cheering served as a constant source of inspiration, pushing him to give his best. The unwavering support from the stands resulted in Virat Kohli’s epic century.
In the India vs Bangladesh match, that took place last evening, India won by 7 wickets.
