IND vs BAN: How Virat Kohli reached to his 48th ODI hundred by denying KL Rahul strike for 19 deliveries

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IND vs BAN: India needed 31 runs off 75 deliveries and Virat Kohli was batting unbeaten on 71 runs off 75 balls. Fans at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune were just waiting to witness India's fourth World Cup 2023 win on the trot.

During these dying moments of a one-sided match, fans even start to leave the stadiums early. If someone did on Thursday, he is set to regret his decision for all his life.

Virat Kohli did what just Virat Kohli could have done. The batting star played each of the next 19 deliveries without giving KL Rahul strike for a single time to sync his hundred and India's win with sheer perfection.

The final three balls of the 39th over saw Kohli decline a single, then hit a six and then run a single to keep the strike with him. The 40th over started with a four on the first ball, then two dots, a six, another dot and then a single on the final ball again to keep the strike.

India needed eight to win the match and Virat Kohli as many runs to complete his 48th ODI hundred before the start of the 41st over. A wide reduced the target to seven. On the following delivery, Kohli just nudged the metres away from him to run a super quick double. Another double on the penultimate ball of the 41st over before a dot and then another single on the final delivery.

India were in need of two runs off 54 balls and Kohli was three away from a thundering hundred. Nasum Ahmed fired one down the leg side and Kohli expressed his disappointment at the spinner but the umpire for some reason did not declare it a wide. A dot delivery followed before King Kohli pounced on the low full toss and sent it flying over mid-wicket for a six.

Kohli finished at unbeaten 103 off 97 and left millions around the world in awe. The batting great gave a new dimension to the match in the dying moment and stunned everyone with his grit and hunger. Incidentally, at the other end with him was KL Rahul who had missed his hundred by three runs in a similar situation during India’s first match of the World Cup 2023 against Australia.

"I wanted to make a big contribution. Have made fifties in World Cups, wanted to finish it off this time," the 35-year-old who has 78 international hundreds to his name said after winning the Man of the Match award.

With just one hundred short of equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record for 49 international hundreds, each of Kohli's outings would be a highly anticipated affair.