Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s statement on Virat Kohli denying singles in consultation with KL Rahul to reach his century against Bangladesh, will surely ruffle a few feathers.
Pujara admitted the desire for Kohli to complete his century against Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash on Thursday, but he also stressed the importance of finishing matches swiftly and maintaining a strong net run-rate for the team's benefit, especially in such a big tournament.
Interestingly, Rahul revealed that it was him who motivated Virat to complete his century, as the former Indian skipper wasn’t convinced about the same.
But Pujara said that players may need to make sacrifices for the greater good of the team, but its all about the individual's mentality.
Cheteshwar Pujara was quoted as saying to ESPNCricinfo: “As much I wanted Virat Kohli to score that hundred, you have to keep in mind, you want to finish the game as early as possible. You want your Net Run Rate to be at the top. If you are in a position where you are fighting for the Net Run Rate, then you don't want to look back and say 'you could have done that'.”
He added, “That's where I feel that as a collective decision, maybe you have to sacrifice a bit. You want to look at the team, you want to put the team first, that's how I look at it. You want your milestone, but not at the cost of the team. As a player, you always have a choice. But some players feel if they get a hundred, it helps them in the next game. So, it depends on what kind of mindset you have.”
Meanwhile, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden said that he doesn’t have any issue with Kohli being allowed to take the opportunity to notch up his hundred.
But Hayden also added that players must take care of the net run-rate in the World Cup, as it can come back to haunt your team.
Matthew Hayden stated on Star Sports: “My initial reaction was he has earned the right to get to his hundred. You have got to be very careful in these tournaments. These things matter. The great Ian Bishop often talks about this, these things matter.”
He signed off by saying, “The sporting gods are sinister-like, if you start flirting with that sort of form, then it can bit you. But it's a decision that they both took. I don't really have a problem with that.”
(With ESPNCricinfo/Star Sports inputs)
