A masterclass of a hundred against Pakistan when detractors were sharpening their knives against him. Who else but Virat Kohli is expected to pull off such feats? The man, the myth hit his 51st career century—sixth in ICC ODI tournaments, fourth against Pakistan, and his first-ever in this event—sealing the victory with a boundary to remain undefeated on 100.
Since that scintillating innings, cricket fans around the world have been gushing over Kohli’s brilliance, but the sweetest, most begrudging compliment came from the Pakistani media. So effusive was Pakistan media in praise of Kohli that they admitted that no player—be it Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, or anyone else—has had a bigger impact on the India-Pakistan cricketing stage than him.
“The ultimate compliment we can begrudgingly pay this all-time great is that no player, on either side of the border, has had a greater impact than him. Not Imran Khan, not Wasim Akram, not Waqar Younis, not anyone,” they wrote.
And just when you thought the praise couldn’t get any better, they called Kuldeep Yadav the “real bogeyman” for Pakistan. “He has developed a liking for Pakistan greater than even Kohli,” they said, referring to the spinner’s spell that had Pakistan on a leash.
Meanwhile, other Pakistani publications didn’t hold back either, admitting that India’s win was a foregone conclusion even before the first ball was bowled yesterday.
Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Sindhu said on air: “Character is not made in a crisis; it is exhibited. This is a man (Kohli) with pedigree, with passion. And after this 100, I can say with conviction that this man is playing for the next two or three years, and he is getting another 10 or 15 hundreds. That, you take it from me. Because, you see, the ultimate litmus test for anyone is how he goes through the adverse times, how he embraces adversity. The last six months, there has been so much going on that he chose his moment. When he scores runs against Pakistan, people are not going to forget it for 10 years.”
Former Pakistan tearaway Shoaib Akhtar endorsed the view saying that hundred international hundreds was within Kohli’s reach. He said, “I hope he goes on to complete 100 international centuries in the future. I really want him to do that, I hope this guy gets it all. I’m really really happy for him. Wish him all the best and I think he deserves all the praise seriously.”
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