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'Axar Patel realised if he hits a boundary, he would never be forgiven': Sunil Gavaskar lauds all-rounder for not leaving Virat Kohli stranded in 90s

Sunil Gavaskar lauded Virat Kohli for his approach in the run chase and said that Axar Patel did the right thing because the veteran batter should not have been left stranded in 90s.

Sports Tak

• Mon • 24 Feb 2025

Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar; Virat Kohli celebrates his century while Axar Patel applauds.

Highlights:

Axar Patel knocked the ball around for singles to let Virat Kohli get to his century.

Virat Kohli finished the run chase with a boundary and reached his hundred.

Sunil Gavaskar said that Virat Kohli deserved to get to his hundred.

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was all praises for Virat Kohli who scored his 51st ODI century to lead India to an emphatic win over Pakistan in Dubai in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash. Gavaskar feels Kohli was not looking to get to a hundred but wanted to finish the run chase as soon as possible.

"Well, he showed that because he was taking singles. He could have kept the strike but he wanted to take the team to as emphatic win as possible. The more deliveries you have to spare, it tells you how much you have dominated the game. If you win by 70-80 balls (remaining), that is a massive win," Gavaskar told Sports Today in an exclusive interaction after India's six-wicket win.

Gavaskar pointed out the respect Kohli has in the dressing room. He lauded Axar Patel for not taking the attacking route and help Kohli get to his maiden Champions Trophy century.

"Axar Patel when he came in realised that if he hits a boundary, he would have never been forgiven. Centuries don't come everyday. As a team man, knowing that the situation you are in, you want to make sure that your teammate who has worked hard gets to a hundred," the 76-year-old said.

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"He has batted spendidly. Why should he remain stranded at 97, 98 not out. It was not there were one or two overs left that you have to make every ball count for runs. That tells you the respect Kohli helds among his teammates that they were able to make sacrifices of their runs so that he could achieve a landmark," he added.

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Kohli controls middle overs to guide India home

Kohli became the quickest to reach 14,000 ODI runs. He finished the game with a boundary off left-arm spinner Khushdil Shah in the 43rd over of innings. The 36-year-old remained unbeaten for 100 off 111 balls including seven fours.

"It feels good to bat in that manner in an important game, where a spot for semis was there to be taken, after Rohit (Sharma) fell (20 off 15 balls). My job was clear - to control the middle overs, not take risks against spinners and take on pacers.

"I was happy with the template, it's how I play in ODIs," said Kohli at the post-match presentation.

India will now take on New Zealand after a long break on March 2.