India trounced Sri Lanka in the opening ODI on Tuesday in Guwahati, with Virat Kohli standing out with his 73rd century in international play. After being given the opportunity to bat first, Kohli pounded 113 off 87 balls to lead India to 373-7 despite two dropped catches on 52 and 81. It was Kohli’s 45th ODI century, putting him just four further from matching Sachin Tendulkar’s record-setting 49 ODI tonnes. Kohli has received a tonne of acclaim from the cricket community following his game-winning strike.
Now, Kamran Akmal, a former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman, praised Kohli, stating that players nowadays can’t even imagine collecting 45 tonnes across formats, much less in just one. “Nowadays, players can’t even imagine of scoring of 45 centuries across formats, but Virat Kohli has scored as many in a single format. He has scored 73 international tons so far. He definitely got chances, but he made the most of those chances. ,”Akmal said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel. Akmal continued by describing why Kohli is such a crucial player for India, particularly in international and continental competitions.
“He had scored a century on this venue two-three years back and now he has rediscovered his form by scoring another hundred. He performed in the World Cup and the Asia Cup. The runs haven’t dried up, which tells how important a player he is for India,” added Akmal. Since breaking out of a protracted dry spell last year, when he opened up about his mental issues during the period, Kohli has already scored two hundreds in as many ODIs.