“That might be a bit of a monkey off his back” - Ricky Ponting reflects on Virat Kohli’s 49th ODI ton
Australian legend Ricky Ponting reckons that Virat Kohli’s 49th ODI ton, with which he equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record, has come at a very good time for the ṣtar Indian batter. Ponting opined that with the 2023 World Cup knockouts coming up, the century is like a monkey off the back for Kohli.
India beat South Africa by a mammoth 243 runs in the 2023 World Cup clash at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Kohli was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 101 off 121 balls, which he scored on his 35th birthday.
The right-handed batter had notched up his 48th ODI hundred against Bangladesh in Pune. He came close to equaling Tendulkar’s record of most ODI tons against New Zealand and Sri Lanka but fell just short.
Speaking on the latest episode of ICC’s Digital Daily, Ponting opined that the game against South Africa was a near-perfect day for Kohli and India.
"That might be a bit of a monkey off his back [49th ODI ton]. I think he has been working extra hard to equal Sachin’s record. That’s done now and it has happened at a really good time at the tournament for him. One more game to go and then they head into the semi-finals. It was an almost perfect day for Virat and a great day for India," Ponting commented.
While Kohli continues to stun fans and experts with his exceptional feats, the former Australian captain stated that the Indian run-machine did not need to break Tendulkar’s record to prove his greatness.
According to the 48-year-old, Kohli’s overall record is proof of his genius.
"There is no doubt he is the absolute best and I have said that for a long time. He didn’t need to equal Sachin's record, he doesn’t need to break the record. If you look at his overall batting record it is incredible. To think that he got 49 ODI hundreds and equalled Sachin and in 175 less innings is unbelievable.”
Kohli is the second-leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup, having smashed 543 runs in eight innings at an average of 108.60 and a strike rate of 88.29.
“India’s bowling attack has clearly been the best’ - Ricky Ponting
Apart from Kohli’s brilliance, Ponting also reflected on the impact of India’s bowling line-up in their incredible run in the World Cup. He has no second thoughts in admitting that the Men in Blue have the best bowling attack in the competition.
"What we have seen in this World Cup so far, is that India’s bowling attack has clearly been the best. Opposition teams are going to have to put a lot of analysis into how they play Bumrah, how they are going to play (Mohammed) Siraj, as they need to get on top of these guys early. Because if they don’t, their spinners will come and get you in the middle of the game,” the former Aussie batter concluded.
India bundled out South Africa for 83 in Kolkata. Before that, they had skittled out Sri Lanka for 55 in Mumbai. Mohammad Shami (16), Jasprit Bumrah (15), and Ravindra Jadeja (14) are among the top ten leading wicket-takers in the 2023 World Cup.