"Us din agar Sharma ji ka ladka tha, to yahan Sharma ji ka damaad hai" - Aakash Chopra lauds Virat Kohli's century in IND vs BAN World Cup clash

Aakash Chopra has lauded Virat Kohli for scoring a match-winning century in India's World Cup 2023 win against Bangladesh.

Najmul Hossain Shanto and company set the Men in Blue a 257-run target after opting to bat first in Pune on Thursday, October 19. Kohli then smashed an unbeaten 103 off 97 deliveries to take his team home with seven wickets and 51 deliveries to spare.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Virat Kohli for replicating Rohit Sharma's century against Afghanistan earlier in the tournament. He said (0:01):

"India have won their fourth consecutive game and all four have been one-sided in the end. Rohit's century had come earlier in the tournament, so Kohli's century was left. Us din agar Sharma ji ka ladka tha, to yahan Sharma ji ka damaad hai. [If it was Sharma ji's son that day, here it was Sharma ji's son-in-law.]"

The former India opener added that the modern batting great deserves all the sobriquets given to him. He elaborated:

"Chase master, run machine, modern master - I have also given some of these names and he is proving it by doing it repeatedly. Something happens to him when he sees Bangladesh. He has a special affection for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia. He hits them a lot, destroys them."

Kohli has an outstanding record against Bangladesh in ODI cricket. He has amassed 910 runs at an average of 75.83 and a strike rate of 101.78 in 16 innings against the Tigers.

---

"His specialty is that he senses the opportunity" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul strung together an unbroken 83-run fourth-wicket partnership. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Virat Kohli made the most of favorable batting conditions. He stated (1:15):

"The pitch was extremely good for batting but it was good for everyone. It's also true that eight out of ten centuries in ODIs are scored on good pitches. His specialty is that he senses the opportunity."

The cricketer-turned-commentator appreciated the former Indian skipper for staying unbeaten and ensuring that his team got over the line. He observed:

"He knows how to convert a good day to a great day. This is how he is different from the rest. He saw an opportunity and converted it into a century. He is that kind of a player. He remained unbeaten till the end and finished the game."

Chopra also praised KL Rahul for ensuring that Kohli didn't miss his century. The wicketkeeper-batter turned down a few singles when his partner was closing in on his century, with India also in touching distance of a win.