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India's batting juggernaut Virat Kohli has once again become the center of praise, this time from Australia legend Michael Clarke. As Team India is taking on five-time champions Australia in their ODI World Cup opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8, Sunday, all eyes are set on the bigwigs of both teams. India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, enters the battlefield as one of the potent title contenders for the ICC World Cup 2023.
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Meanwhile, right ahead of the electrifying contest, Michael Clarke, in a playful jest, said that he would like Virat Kohli to get out on a duck in his first game of the ongoing ODI World Cup. He remarked," Yeah, I’d like Virat to get a duck in the first game. Then, he can make 100 every game after that until he plays Australia in the final and gets another duck. He’s a genius. He’s class, he’s back to his best. He was always going to be back to his best.”
The admiration was evident in his words as he continued to pour accolades on the Indian batting maestro.
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Clarke didn't hold back in highlighting Kohli's innate class and technique, asserting, “I think anybody that wrote him off is very silly. Class is permanent, and he’s another great player that has shown that. And this is probably his best format. He’s a genius in Test cricket, Twenty20, but he’s a once-in-a-lifetime player in one-day cricket.”
Kohli's ability to assess the game dynamics and adjust his strategy has always set him apart from his contemporaries. “He knows the conditions. He reads the game really well. He knows when he can afford to take his time. He knows when he’s got to up the ante. He knows how to chase a total better than any player in this format ever did before him. So, again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a stellar World Cup,” Clarke opined.
Diving deeper into Virat Kohli's ODI credentials, the Delhi-born batter has amassed a staggering 13,083 runs in 281 ODI fixtures, maintaining an impressive average of 57.38 and a swift strike rate of 93.78. With 47 centuries and 66 half-centuries under his belt, he stands just three ODI tons short of eclipsing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries.
In the context of the ODI World Cups, the 34-year-old stalwart has consistently demonstrated excellence. Representing India in the past three editions, Kohli has racked up 1030 runs in 26 innings, showcasing an average of 46.81, with his top score being a blazing 107 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 2015.
Meanwhile talking about the match, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the blockbuster clash.
India skipper Rohit Sharma, after losing the toss, said,"The conditions are there for the bowlers and the ball will turn as the game goes on, you need to understand what line and lengths to bowl and adjust accordingly. We played a lot of cricket before that, we played two good series before the warm up games, we have covered all bases. Unfortunately he (Shubman Gill) didn't recover in time, we waited till today morning and he couldn't recover. Ishan comes in to replace him, he will open the batting."
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins said," We'll bat first, looks like a good wicket. Sun is out, good opportunity to bat. We are in a good spot, we've played a lot over the last month. Travis Head isn't here, Abbott and Josh Inglis miss out."
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
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