In a battle of heart and mind, cricket fans in Islamabad chose the former as they celebrated Virat Kohli’s magnificent hundred in a Champions Trophy Group A match even as his knock all but eliminated Pakistan out of the tournament. A video of Pakistani fans in Islamabad celebrating Virat Kohli’s hundred went viral on social media as Mohammad Rizwan & Co. stared at early elimination from the Champions Trophy, a tournament they are officially the hosts for. For a section of fans, it was Kohli’s blitz with the bat that mattered more, even as the team stood on the brink of exit.
In the video, fans could be seen celebrating Kohli’s boundary that earned him his 51st ODI hundred. Incidentally, the four also completed India’s successful run-chase of 242 runs, set by Pakistan in their second group match.
— Muhammad Faizan Aslam Khan (@FaizanBinAslam1) February 23, 2025
What Virat Kohli Said On His 51st ODI Ton:
“It is a catch 22. It has been my kind of weakness as well over the years but I have scored lot of runs off that shots. I think today was just about backing my shots. I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise so l really had to just let it go little bit, take a risk and follow through with my shots,” Kohli said in a video posted by bcci.tv.
“When I hit those kind of shots, then I feel in control. It was a good innings for me personally. It was great team work,” he added. Meanwhile, Kohli also became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 ODI runs and most of which came while batting at no.3.
“I was able to bat the way I wanted to bat and contribute in a winning cause. It obviously feels great. It was imperative to get stuck in and get this win to be able to qualify,” the 36-year-old said.
“One thing that I always thought of batting at no.3 is to minimise the risk and make sure I put my team in a winning position. If you have a chance to finish off the game in a run chase, then it is much better. I always prefer that kind of a situation. My role over the years has remained the same. Whatever the demands of the game, I put my head down and try to do that,” he added.
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