Mohammad Hafeez calls Virat Kohli a selfish player | Source: X.com
Mohammad Hafeez, the former Pakistan cricketer, ignited controversy last year by stating that Virat Kohli showed a ‘selfish’ approach when he scored his 49th ODI century during a World Cup match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
According to Hafeez, the Indian batting stalwart consciously avoided playing big shots as he was nearing his century. This statement has once again sparked controversy after Hafeez reiterated it during a recent discussion with Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist.
Mohammad Hafeez stood by his criticism of Virat Kohli, labelling his approach as selfish, and went on to say that there’s no place for such kind of cricket where individuals chase milestones over the team’s success.
Here’s what Hafeez told Vaughan and Gilchrist on being asked about his remarks on Virat Kohli:
“If you see the whole context, you will understand. To me, no matter who is playing, your intention, your approach should always be aimed towards winning the game.”
“But if someone refrains from playing a big shot in the 90s, I cannot agree with that. If someone takes five balls to reach their century when they are on 95, without considering whether they could have hit a big shot on those three or four balls… If my intention changes after scoring a century, why can’t I play the same shot when I was on 95? Or on 92? Because to me, your intent should always remain consistent – do whatever it takes to contribute to your team and lead them to victory.”
Virat Kohli century celebration | Source: X/Twitter
It’s worth noting that Virat Kohli took 9 deliveries to move from 90 to 100 and managed to hit a boundary when he was on 93 during that particular match. He completed his century from 119 balls. India eventually won that game by a whopping 243-run margin.
“I felt in that game Virat took a lot of balls to get to his 100 and he was not playing big shots. If you watch his century again, maybe you will realize what I was saying. For me, personal milestones should go away from cricket. Your 50s, your 100s, your 5 wickets – as a fan of cricket we don’t want to watch these kinds of 50s and hundreds if they are not in a winning cause. In the game of cricket, even one run matters,” Hafeez added.
KL Rahul Selfish As Well, Hafeez Claims
Indian cricketer KL Rahul | Source: X.com
The Pakistan all-rounder then gave the example of another Indian batter, KL Rahul, who seemed heartbroken after missing an opportunity to reach his century in the first match of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia.
With five runs needed for victory, KL Rahul, batting on 91, launched a brilliant six over extra cover to seal the win, ending the innings unbeaten on 97. He wanted to hit a four and a six to complete his century, but the ball went for a six.
“In that particular tournament KL Rahul played an absolutely fantastic shot toward his extra cover and finished the game off and he was not happy that India won the game but was unhappy because he couldn’t get that chance to get his own 100. To me this is a selfish approach and then the same thing happened when Virat Kohli did the same thing,” Hafeez said.
“Kohli was more into his hundred rather than adding more value to the team’s cause. I know at the end they won by more than 200 runs. It doesn’t make any difference if your own way of approaching the game of cricket is not right. If you think your milestone is bigger than the team’s victory, I’m sorry I will never take that,” he added.
