Team India and Virat Kohli return to action on Sunday as the Men in Blue gear up to face the Netherlands in their final group game of the World Cup 2023. India are already assured of the top spot, and their place in the semifinals, thus they will use the game against the Dutch to fine-tune their preparations for the knockouts.
Meanwhile, it will be a monumental day for Virat Kohli who will have the opportunity to become the first-ever batsman to score a half-century of international hundreds in ODI cricket.
Kohli drew level with Sachin Tendulkar, equalling the Master Blaster’s record of 49 ODI centuries, and against the Netherlands he will have the chance to reach the milestone 50 ODI hundred mark.
Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
With the game being a dead-rubber, while some fans expect key players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat and others to be rested after 8 consecutive wins, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop and ex-New Zealand star Simon Doull are pretty sure that Kohli will not ‘voluntarily rest’ himself for the last group stage clash.
The pair engaged in a friendly chat on Saturday, ahead of the World Cup clash between Australia and Bangladesh. Doull made the suggestion that perhaps Virat Kohli could be rested against the Dutch so that his prediction of Quinton de Kock finishing as the World Cup’s top scorer might come true.
“In an ICC show prior to this tournament I had picked Quinton de Kock as the highest run-getter. So I would leave Kohli out so that he can’t pass Quinton and I would replace him with whoever that doesn’t really matter,” Doull remarked on Star Sports.
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While the Proteas batter currently has 591 runs in nine matches, Rachin Ravindra is also close by with 565 runs, whereas Virat is third in the top run scorers’ list of 2023 World Cup with 543 runs under his belt.
Bishop then chipped into the conversation, saying that there was no chance the former Indian captain would miss up the chance to score his 50th ODI hundred unless there was a niggle. Doull also agreed with the West Indies legend.
“Wait. Do you think Kohli will voluntarily rest when he is one century short of the record?” questioned Bishop, prompting a laugh from Doull who stated, “No chance. I just wanted to win something.”
Virat Kohli had recently stated that he wanted to score plenty more centuries to help the Indian team, and he will certainly be hoping to get the milestone 50th ODI century in Bengaluru, which is like a second home for the 35-year-old from his RCB days.
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