Virat Kohli has been enjoying a brilliant run of form with the bat during the Cricket World Cup 2023 and his brilliance spilled on to his bowling as well during the league game against Netherlands in Bengaluru on Sunday. Kohli was introduced into the attack by skipper Rohit Sharma and ended up dismissing Scott Edwards. The ball drifted down the leg stump and KL Rahul pulled off a sharp catch off Edwards’s outside edge. The celebrations erupted as soon as the umpire raised his finger and Kohli turned towards the stands to show his happiness. Wife Anushka Sharma was in the stands and her reaction has gone viral.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul hit attacking centuries to power India to a mammoth 410-4 against the Netherlands as the hosts look to stay undefeated in the final league match of the Cricket World Cup.
India, who are aiming for a 9-0 league finish, elected to bat first in Bengaluru with their minds already on a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday.
Iyer smashed an unbeaten 128 off 94 balls for his first World Cup ton in a match where all the top-five Indian batsmen went past the fifty mark on a batting-friendly pitch.
He raised his hundred — his fourth in ODI cricket — off 84 balls and put on 208 runs with Rahul, who hit 102.
Bengaluru-born Rahul reached his ton with two sixes for the fastest Indian hundred in World Cups in 62 balls.
He departed four balls later as India fell short of their highest ever World Cup total of 413-5 v Bermuda in 2007.
“The last 10 overs you really have to go, it isn’t rocket science,” said Rahul.
“Shreyas was set and I’d faced a few balls. The game plan was clear that you’ve got to get as many runs as possible, enjoy yourself and hit as many sixes as possible.
“It has been really hard in this World Cup because it tends to reverse a little bit and the ball gets softer.”
Virat Kohli reached his half century but fell for 51, silencing the crowd who had been anticipating the star batsman’s 50th ODI ton after he equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 in the team’s previous win over South Africa.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, who hit 61, and Shubman Gill laid the foundations for the total in an opening stand of 100 with the pair hitting regular boundaries.
Gill fell for 51 off Paul van Meekeren and fellow quick Bas de Leede dismissed Rohit after the captain reached his fourth 50-plus score including a ton in the tournament.
The in-form Kohli had an edgy start to his innings before he got into the groove and reached the 71st ODI fifty of his career only to be bowled four balls later by Roelof van der Merwe’s left-arm spin.
Iyer kept up his blazing form to register his fourth successive score of 50 and above in the tournament and received support from the other end with Rahul playing anchor and then joining the charge.
The two hit 21 fours and nine sixes between them.
India were the first team to book a semi-final spot and have won all eight of their matches so far.
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