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Team India stalwart Virat Kohli reached his 48th ODI century with a stylish six in the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh on Thursday, October 19. He helped the hosts win by seven wickets at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. It was also the finishing moment of the match, as India extended their unbeaten run in the ongoing World Cup.
Bangladesh batted first in the contest and made 256/8 in 50 overs. Rohit Sharma (48) once again played aggressively and provided a solid platform for his side in the chase. Shubman Gill complemented him well with a fluent half-century.
After the duo's departure, Virat Kohli anchored the chase perfectly and finished the game in 41.3 overs.
In the end, he was on 80 when India needed 20 runs to win, with KL Rahul at the other end. Virat Kohli farmed the strike after that and scored all the runs to reach his third World Cup hundred. He reached the milestone and finished the game with a six against Nasum Ahmed in the 42nd over.
You can watch the winning moment in the video below:
It was a dream to start with a four and a six: Virat Kohli on his match-winning knock
At the post-match presentation, Virat Kohli admitted that he was fortunate to get a couple of free hits early in his innings. The four and six off the two deliveries helped him get going.
Reflecting on his Player of the Match award performance, Kohli said:
"Sorry for stealing it (player of the match award) from Jaddu but I wanted to make a big contribution. I've had a few fifties in World Cups and I haven't really converted them so I wanted to finish it off this time and hang on till the end."
"I was telling Shubman even if you dream about a situation like that, you don't go back to sleep."
He added:
"It was a dream to start with a four and a six. I was just looking to hit the gaps, run hard and get the boundaries whenever needed."
Kohli also spoke about the team culture and atmosphere in the dressing room ,s saying:
"It's a great atmosphere in the change room. We're loving each other's company, the spirit is there for everyone to see. It's a long tournament and you need that mood in the change room for guys to come out and play like this. And Ash as well, just the two of us from 2011 - it's a pleasure playing at home and we want to make the most of it."
Virat Kohli is currently second in the top-run scorers list in the 2023 World Cup with 259 runs from four games. Rohit Sharma is at the pole position with 265 runs.
