"India's most dangerous right arm quick bowler" - Fans erupt as Virat Kohli bowls in IND vs BAN 2023 World Cup clash

Virat Kohli broke the internet as he was asked to complete an injured Hardik Pandya's first over in the 2023 World Cup clash between India and Bangladesh on Thursday.

Kohli, who bowls slow medium pace very rarely, was forced to take the ball once Pandya fell over on his follow-through and twisted his ankle in the ninth over of Bangladesh's innings at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

To his credit, Kohli managed to generate a hint of movement as he sent down three deliveries for two runs.

Fans had a field day on X at the sight of Kohli rolling his arm over. From comparisons with former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris to memories of Kohli calling himself a right-arm 'quick' bowler at the U19 World Cup in 2008, they had a lot to say about it.

India stirke back after Bangladesh openers start superbly in the 2023 World Cup

With Shakib Al Hasan ruled out of the 2023 World Cup game against India, Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped into the shoes of captaincy. He decided to bat first upon winning the toss even as his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma opined that he would have bowled first.

Bangladesh's openers Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan were tested by a probing new ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj but they were willing to bide their time. Once the ball stopped swinging, both batters played their shots and cleared the infield consistently.

When Pandya was brought on to break the partnership in the ninth over, his injury threw a spanner into India's works as Kohli was summoned to complete the over.

Shardul Thakur went for plenty in his first over as Bangladesh continued to charge along with Tanzid raising a half-century. The left-handed batter was then trapped in front as he played all around a sweep attempted off Kuldeep Yadav. While he scored 51 off 43 balls, skipper Shanto was trapped lbw by Ravindra Jadeja for a 17-ball eight.

At the time of writing, Bangladesh are 114/2 in 22 overs with Litton Das (51*) batting with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (1*). With enough batting to follow, Bangladesh will look to post a huge score on a belter of a track.

Can India register a fourth straight win at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!

About the author

Sooryanarayanan started off as a non-contracted text commentator at Sportskeeda 3 years ago and is today, the Cricket Commentary Manager. An MBA degree holder, a burning passion for the sport eventually led him to take it up professionally. He also writes insightful Feature pieces from time to time.

Sooryanarayanan sees cricket as a reflection of life’s ebbs and flows, and believes that the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy perfectly showcased it via the determination, courage and the never-give-up attitude displayed on field. He is a staunch Team India supporter and believes that the team has a very bright future. He admires MS Dhoni for how he approaches the sport and life as they come, being unfazed by both victory and defeat.

Sooryanarayanan tries to stick to facts and relies heavily on numerical data to present them. Keeping an objective and neutral view is one of his biggest reporting strengths, along with conducting thorough research and verifying all facts. His exploits in his field have led him to interview some star cricketers like Rovman Powell, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Peter Hatzoglou, and more.

When not immersed in Cricket, Sooryanarayanan loves to watch movies and web series, which helps him to focus better when he’s back to work.

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