• India defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in Match 17 of the ODI World Cup 2023.

  • During the game, a controversy erupted after Umpire Richard Kettleborough denied Nasum Ahmed's delivery to Virat Kohli as a wide.

World Cup 2023: Netizens spark meme fest as Virat Kohli hits 48th ODI ton after umpire Richard Kettleborough’s cryptic decision in the IND vs BAN clash
Umpire Richard Kettleborough deniesto give wide during IND vs BAN, ODI World Cup 2023 (Image source: Twitter)

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In Match 17 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, India delivered a commanding performance by securing a seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday. The triumph marked India’s fourth win and extended their unbeaten streak in the ongoing ICC event.

Dazzling performance by the Men in Blue

Bangladesh took the field without their regular skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, with Najmul Hossain Shanto as his stand-in. Shanto won the toss and chose to bat first. Bangladesh’s opening pair reached half-centuries, and gave their team a flying start. Tanzid Ahmed scored 51 runs, while Litton Das contributed 66 runs with the bat. Following their dismissals, the Bangla Tigers failed to capitalize and ended up scoring 256/8 in 50 overs. For India, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj shined with the ball with each taking two wickets.

In response, the Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started comfortably, hitting boundaries across the field. While Rohit fell just two runs short of his 54th ODI fifty, Gill scored 53 before being dismissed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Virat Kohli, who benefited from two early no-balls, capitalized on his good fortune and became the fourth player in the world to surpass 26,000 international runs.

Virat partnered with Gill, Shreyas Iyer (19), and KL Rahul (34), crafting partnerships of  44, 46, and an unbeaten 83 runs respectively. As the target neared, Kohli approached his century, executing sharp running and well-timed boundaries, ultimately surpassing the Bangladeshi total to reach three figures.

Also WATCH: World Cup 2023 – Ecstatic Sara Tendulkar applauds Shubman Gill’s boundary stroke during IND vs BAN game in Pune

Richard Kettleborough’s cryptic decision

An unusual incident occurred during the first ball of the 42nd over. With India needing just two runs to win and Virat requiring three more to achieve his 78th international century, Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed delivered a ball that zipped past the batter’s leg side and landed in the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Despite this, the on-field umpire, Richard Kettleborough, did not classify the delivery as wide, possibly because he believed that the right-handed batter shifted slightly away from the ball’s path.

The umpire’s call ultimately granted Kohli an extra chance to reach his 48th ODI century, which he did by smashing a six and placing himelf just one century away from matching Sachin Tendulkar‘s record in the 50-over format. The decision made by Richard sparked a wave of wild and humorous memes across the internet from netizens.

Also READ: World Cup 2023 – KL Rahul reveals why Virat Kohli didn’t take singles towards the end of the run chase against Bangladesh

Here is how netizens reacted:

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