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Virat Kohli‘s exceptional century played a pivotal role in India’s commanding total of 356 runs against Pakistan in Colombo on Monday. His formidable partnership with KL Rahul (111 not out) led India to a resounding 228-run victory.
Apart from scoring an unbeaten 122, the former Indian captain shattered multiple records. He became the fastest cricketer to reach the milestone of 13,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and inched closer to Sachin Tendulkar‘s legendary record of 49 ODI centuries. Additionally, Kohli equalled Hashim Amla‘s record for the most consecutive ODI centuries at a single venue, achieving four in a row.
Defending the total, Kuldeep Yadav stole the spotlight with his left-arm spin, securing his second five-wicket haul in ODIs. His exceptional performance restricted Pakistan to 128, sealing India’s triumph over their bitter rivals.
Adjudging Kohli as player of the match despite Yadav’s fifer laying a strong claim on it well raised the eyebrows of former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir. The former left-handed batter disagreed on naming Kohli as Man of the Match.
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‘Can’t look beyond Kuldeep Yadav’: Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir advocated for Kuldeep Yadav as the standout performer. In the encounter having challenging pitch and weather conditions, the ex-India opener emphasised that Yadav’s remarkable feat of taking five wickets in just eight overs against a traditionally strong Pakistan batting lineup was a game-changing moment.
“For me, it’s Kuldeep Yadav. Can’t look beyond him. I know Virat got a hundred KL (Rahul) got a hundred. Rohit (Sharma), Shubman Gill got fifties but on a wicket like this where it was seaming swinging, if someone get five wickets in 8 overs, especially against Pakistan batters, who play spin really well, is a game-changing moment,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports India in the post-match show.
“I can understand if it was Australia, South Africa or New Zealand because they don’t play spin that well. This just shows the quality of the bowler. He beat batters in the air and he beat batters off the wicket as well. Going into the World Cup, that is great for Indian cricket because now you have two attacking pacers upfront and Kuldeep. Three bowlers who can take wickets at any stage of the game,” Gambhir added.
