"The more important thing is winning the World Cup" - Nasser Hussain cautions Virat Kohli on his 49th ODI century endeavor to level Sachin Tendulkar
Former England captain Nasser Hussain cautioned Team India batter Virat Kohli on losing focus on winning the World Cup in sight of leveling the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's mark of 49 ODI centuries.
Following his 48th ODI ton against Bangladesh, several talks have been going on Kohli's quest to level Tendulkar's ODI century mark. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old hasn't been able to complete the milestone, falling just short against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
While he scored 95 in a terrific run chase against the Kiwis, Kohli had a massive opportunity on 88 against the Lankans, only to fall agonizingly short again.
Speaking to Star Sports post-game, Hussain felt Virat Kohli would eventually reach the landmark but warned against the feat being a deterrent to India's ultimate goal of winning the World Cup.
"Anything I would say about it is winning the World Cup is the most important thing," Nasser Hussain said. "He will get the 49, he will get the 50th. He will probably get a 100 international hundreds, he is that good.
"But the more important thing is winning the World Cup. India must not build it up to be about his 49th."
Despite the talks surrounding Kohli's incredible achievement should he get there, it has not in the least bit affected Team India's performance.
India has been in destructive form by brushing aside all opponents to run the table with seven wins in as many games so far in the tournament. Their latest win against Sri Lanka by a massive 302 runs also saw them become the first side to qualify for the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup.
"Only time he really felt the enormity of who he was when going from 99 to 100" - Nasser Hussain on Sachin Tendulkar
Nasser Hussain recalled that the only time Sachin Tendulkar felt real pressure was when he was on 99 international centuries, with the wait for the 100th getting longer.
While Tendulkar scored his 99th ton against South Africa in the 2011 World Cup, he had to wait another year and over 30 innings before completing his 100th century against Bangladesh.
The former England captain hoped Kohli could shut out all the outside noise to avoid losing focus on winning the World Cup for Team India.
"I remember Sachin had spoken about it, the only time he really felt the enormity of who he was when going from 99 to 100, the person in the room service before he hung up asked him 'are you going to get your 100th today?" Nasser Hussain said.
"He hid himself from the noise, he shut out the noise and the only time he could hear the noise was from 99 to 100. So, I just hope that Virat can hide away from that noise, just for a few weeks longer," he added.
Virat Kohli has been in blistering form throughout the tournament, with 442 runs in seven games at an average of over 88. He is the second leading run-scorer of the World Cup, with a hundred and four half-centuries.
Team India will next travel to Kolkata to take on the other in-form side of the World Cup, South Africa, on Sunday, November 5.