ICC World Cup: India beat resilient New Zealand in semifinal by 70 runs
Virat Kohli neared his hundred. When he got there, with a typically hard-run brace, the crowd lost its collective mind. But, Kohli knew exactly what to do: he bowed down to Sachin Tendulkar in the stands, whose record of 49 ODI centuries he had crossed, blew three kisses to Anushka Sharma, his wife, and accepted a mid-pitch hug from Kane Williamson.
Kohli had hit the trifecta: achieving something even the best in his trade could not do, the love and support of a good woman and the respect and admiration of his peers.
Eventually, Kohli would be dismissed for 117, off 113 balls, but in the process, he had scored more runs in a single edition of the tournament than anyone else.
If Kohli’s century was pure sentiment, Shreyas Iyer’s three-figure essay was an exercise in temperament and clinical execution. Kohli’s effort had taken time, but he played the role that the team expected of him, allowing others to take a few chances. And Shreyas did, but not one of those was outlandish.
Rather, he played the good cricket shots to deliveries that merited them and got the best results. Shreyas made 105 from 70 balls, tonking eight massive sixes and only half as many fours.
The two centuries had headlined India’s innings, but they were set up, once again, by Rohit Sharma’s selflessness at the top of the order. On a pitch that was widely expected to be on the slower side and aid spin, but ended up being a batting beauty, Rohit went hard once again.
