For the second consecutive game, supporters, notably Indians, have condemned Virat Kohli for his perceived selfish and milestone-centric approach. In today’s encounter against New Zealand in Dharamsala, Kohli declined singles, resulting in a vital dot ball when Ravindra Jadeja was at the crease during a frantic run-chase. This situation recalled the one in which KL Rahul had assisted Kohli’s century in a previous encounter against Bangladesh in Pune.
Fans expressed increased displeasure this time around due to the close run-chase. In the match against Bangladesh, when Virat Kohli was closing in on his century, there were still roughly 10 overs remaining. However, in the recent game against New Zealand, India found themselves needing 7 runs to win, with Kohli also requiring 7 runs for his century. The difficulty was exacerbated because only 3 overs remained, and the last recognized partnership of Kohli and Jadeja was at the crease, with the likes of Shami, Kuldeep, Bumrah, and Siraj to follow.
On the fifth delivery of the 47th over, Virat Kohli chose an easy single, and then Jadeja played a great defensive shot on the penultimate ball. This decision meant that Kohli would keep the strike in the next over, but Jadeja had the potential to take a single or even aim for a boundary, which may have boosted India’s Net Run Rate (NRR).
In the following over, Kohli and Jadeja squandered an opportunity to take a single. Unfortunately, Virat Kohli fell short of his century as he got out trying to knock a six and was caught in the deep. This just heightened the fans’ fury, especially when Mohammed Shami was the next batsman in line.
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While Shami managed to take a single, there was still a slight probability of things going amiss for India. Given Shami’s ability to take two wickets in two deliveries against New Zealand’s tailenders Santner and Henry earlier in the match, there was a possibility that Henry could dismiss Shami and another Indian tailender. This would have created an even more hazardous situation for India, with Daryl Mitchell observing from the opposite end.
Fans trolled Virat Kohli heavily as a “Selfish” player:
