He Was Not Happy India Won The Match: Mohammad Hafeez Calls Virat Kohli, KL Rahul 'Selfish'

20/06/2024

he was not happy india won the match: mohammad hafeez calls virat kohli, kl rahul 'selfish'

Former Pakistan cricket team captain doubled down on his stance and once again called Virat Kohli as well as KL Rahul selfish, despite receiving widespread backlash for his comments on them during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

For those unversed, Hafeez sparked a major controversy after Virat Kohli's historic 49th ODI century against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Despite getting criticism from all corners for his comments on the knock played during India's big win of 243 runs, Hafeez has claimed he was correct in his assessment.

The ex-Pakistan team director and head coach stated that Kohli was not attempting to play big shots and took a lot of balls in the 90's to get to his 100. Hafeez stated that, as a fan of the sport, he does not like players playing for personal milestones.

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"No matter who is batting, your intention and way of playing should always be towards winning the game. But if someone is stopping himself not to play big shots in the 90s, I will never take it. After 95, if someone is taking five balls to get to his hundred and not thinking of hitting off those 3 or 4 balls, and if the intention gets changed after scoring a 100, why can't I play the same shot on 95? So in that game (South Africa), Virat took a lot of balls to get to his 100 and he was not playing big shots.

"Personal milestones should go away from cricket, they mean nothing if it is not on a winning cause because in the game of cricket, even one run can matter. If someone can play a shot after scoring a century but cannot play the same shot in the 90s, it doesn't sit right with me as a fan of the game. Whether it's the first ball or you are on 99, you must play according to the game situation," said Hafeez on the Club Praire Fire Podcast with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan.

The match in question saw Kohli level Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most tons in ODI cricket history. On the day of the match, the former Indian skipper was celebrating his 35th birthday. Later, Kohli became the first player in history to score 50 ODI tons during the semi-final against New Zealand.

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Hafeez elaborated on his remark and recalled KL Rahul's disappointment in missing his century in a group stage match against Australia after he hit the winning shot for a six and remained not-out on 97 as the Men in Blue sealed a six-wicket victory.

"I remember in the same tournament, KL Rahul played a fantastic shot over extra cover to finish the game off (vs Australia) and he was not happy that India won the game but was unhappy because he couldn't get his own hundred. This is a selfish approach and then the same happened when Virat Kohli did the same thing when he was more into his 100 than adding value to the team (vs South Africa)," said Hafeez.

After hitting the six, Rahul did not hide his disappointment, with his reaction going viral. Rahul had rescued Team India from a troubled situation for 2–3 and put up a huge partnership with Kohli. While Kohli was dismissed for 85, Rahul missed out on a ton by three runs. The Indian batter needed to hit two boundaries to get his ton, but he smashed Pat Cummins for a six, which meant India completed the target before he could reach the three-figure mark.

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