'It Could've Hurt India If...': Gambhir's Interesting Take On Kohli's 49th ODI Ton
Virat Kohli slammed his 49th ODI ton on Sunday [X.com]
While Virat Kohli's record-levelling 49th One-Day International (ODI) is being celebrated all over the world, few voices have spoken about how the knock could have cost India in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter against South Africa on Sunday.
Kohli slammed an unbeaten 101* against the Proteas, where the former Indian skipper took time to reach his hundred.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has echoed similar sentiments, stating how Kohli slowing down could have hurt India, if the track at Eden Gardens played even.
Earlier, former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez also labelled Kohli's knock as selfish, taking several deliveries to record his historic century.
Here's what Gambhir said
"It was important for Kohli to bat deep and I feel it was at the end, just the last 5-6 overs where he slowed down a bit, maybe because he was nearing a century. But I believe there were already enough runs on the board. It could have hurt India if they were batting on a good pitch,"
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gambhir, who is quite vocal about his opinions, also lauded middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer's gritty 77-run knock that took pressure off Kohli's shoulder.
"You got to give credit to Shreyas Iyer for the way he kept taking chances and took the pressure off Virat Kohli. Both batted really well in the middle as the best time to bat was with the new ball. They expertly negotiated Keshav Maharaj and giving him just one wicket when Jadeja picked five was brilliant."
Earlier, former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez also labelled Kohli's knock as selfish, taking several deliveries to record his historic century.
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