Michael Vaughan, the former captain of the England cricket team, has strongly criticized Mohammad Hafeez of Pakistan for his critical remarks regarding Indian batsman Virat Kohli. Hafeez made these comments following Kohli’s achievement of equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record with his 49th ODI century against South Africa on Sunday.
Kohli displayed remarkable composure and skill, remaining unbeaten with a score of 101 off 121 balls on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch. His performance contributed significantly to his team’s posting of 326/5 in 50 overs.
However, Hafeez expressed his discontent with the way Kohli played his innings and accused him of being selfish in his approach to batting. During a cricket show called ‘Top Cricket Analysis,’ Hafeez stated:
“I observed a self-centered approach in Virat Kohli’s batting, and this is the third time it has happened in this World Cup. In the 49th over, he appeared to be prioritizing his personal century over the team’s needs. Rohit Sharma could have chosen a selfish approach too, but he didn’t because he plays for Team India, not just for himself.”
Dismissing Mohammad Hafeez’s comments as baseless, Michael Vaughan lauded Virat Kohli for his remarkable performance on a challenging wicket. Vaughan expressed his view on the matter through a tweet:
“Come on @MHafeez22 !!! India has convincingly defeated 8 teams with exceptional cricket performances… @imVkohli now boasts 49 centuries, and his latest innings was about playing an anchoring role on a tricky pitch… His team won by over 200 runs!!! This criticism is completely unfounded… #CWC2023 #India #Pakistan,” wrote the cricketer-turned-commentator on Twitter.
Come on @MHafeez22 !!! India have hammered 8 teams playing great cricket .. @imVkohli now has 49 tons and his last was an anchor role innings on a tricky pitch .. His team won by over 200 !!!! This is utter nonsense .. #CWC2023 #India #Pakistan https://t.co/Foh3hhz3RE
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 7, 2023
Currently, Kohli holds the second-highest position as the leading run-scorer in the ODI World Cup, trailing behind South Africa’s Quinton de Kock. The right-handed batsman has accumulated 543 runs in eight matches, just seven runs short of de Kock, with an impressive average of 108.60.
