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In Match 17 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India secured a remarkable seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Thursday.
India’s batting maestro, Virat Kohli‘s bat wielded its magic once again as he notched up his 48th international century during the game. The right-handed batter achieved a monumental milestone in doing so, becoming the fastest batter to amass a staggering 26,000 international runs.
While the cricketing community collectively cheered for Virat’s remarkable achievement, there were voices of dissent questioning his strategy of deliberately slowing down towards the end of the game to reach his century.
In some instances during the match, it was evident that his partner at the non-striker’s end, KL Rahul, refrained from taking singles to ensure that Kohli retained the strike. Cheteshwar Pujara, a seasoned and experienced Indian batter, expressed his discontent with this approach.
Pujara’s typical opinion
Pujara emphasized the importance of efficiently closing out games in cricket, highlighting the significance of maintaining a high Net Run Rate. He expressed concerns about potentially regretting the decision to prioritize an individual century over the team’s overall performance and Net Run Rate when competing at a high level.
“As much I wanted Virat Kohli to score that hundred, you have to keep in mind, you want to finish the game as early as possible. You want your Net Run Rate to be at the top. If you are in a position where you are fighting for the Net Run Rate, then you don’t want to look back and say ‘you could have done that’,” Pujara said on ESPN Cricinfo.
Also READ: World Cup 2023 – KL Rahul reveals why Virat Kohli didn’t take singles towards the end of the run chase against Bangladesh
Game of mindset
Pujara further underlined the importance of collective decision-making, suggesting that sometimes, individuals may need to make sacrifices for the team’s greater good. The test cricket specialist acknowledged that players have a choice in such situations, as some believe that reaching a hundred could boost their performance in the next game, highlighting the varying mindsets among players.
“That’s where I feel that as a collective decision, maybe you have to sacrifice a bit. You want to look at the team, you want to put the team first, that’s how I look at it. You want your milestone, but not at the cost of the team. As a player, you always have a choice. But some players feel if they get a hundred, it helps them in the next game. So it depends on what kind of mindset you have,” the 35-year-old added.
