Sunil Gavaskar also lauded India's bowling attack for their exceptional show at World Cup 2023.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar praised Virat Kohli for his incredible hunger for runs despite him already being established as one of the all-time greats in the world of cricket.
Kohli has a stunning record in all three formats of the game and has an impressive total of 80 international centuries to his name. The dashing right-hander has scored 1, 50, and 29 centuries in T20I, ODI, and Test cricket, respectively.
These numbers put the former Indian skipper in second place on the list of the most international hundreds in cricket history, just behind Sachin Tendulkar's 100 centuries. In ODIs, Kohli now holds the record for the most centuries, showcasing his dominance in the format.
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Kohli achieved this feat in the first semifinal of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against New Zealand. His fellow Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, follows closely, ranking third with 31 centuries, trailing Tendulkar's 49. Meanwhile, Gavaskar described Kohli as a “century-hungry’ player.
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today: “The next best (among active players) is Rohit Sharma with 31. So, it just tells you the vast gap between him and the rest. People are run-hungry, he is century-hungry. And his hunger for centuries are insatiable and that is how it should be. Every batter worth his salt should put a minimum price of 100 against his name.”
He added, “That is what he is doing in every match. In this tournament itself, he could have got three more centuries. A couple of times he has gone past 50 and got out after that and so he has been in phenomenal form. And he has made every match count.”
Meanwhile, the former Indian captain also hailed the dominance of Indian pacers Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023.
Gavaskar said, “Very special and they are all different. Bumrah comes in with an action that is not in the coaching books but just so effective. Now he has added the outswinger to his repertoire which makes it even more difficult to score off him.
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Then the straight seam bowling of Mohammed Shami, the accuracy and pace with which he bowls. And then, the big heart of Mohammed Siraj. That has really kept the opposition batters on tenterhooks. Yes, there will the odd partnership but they have been the ones who have come back and struck when that happens.”
He signed off by saying, “And in the middle overs, you have Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav not just stopping runs but taking wickets as well and setting the opposition back. It really has been an attack to remember. Generally, in a tournament batters might win you the matches, as we saw with Maxwell. But it is the bowlers who will win you the tournaments.”
Notably, Team India will face Australia in the final of the World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on November 19. India will be looking to end their drought for the ICC trophy on Sunday.
(With India Today Inputs)