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Star India batter Virat Kohli, who smashed a brilliant century against South Africa in his ICC Cricket World Cup match, said that the wicket was tricky and his role was to bat deep.
Virat Kohli created history on his 35th birthday by scoring his 49th ODI century, equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record of most ODI tons and guiding India to 326/5 in 50 overs against South Africa here at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. "It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on, we got a great start from Rohit and Shubman, my job was to keep it going on. The ball started gripping and turning after the 10th over, it slowed down and then my role was to bat deep with the others playing around me. That was what was communicated to me by the team management," said Virat after his innings. "Shreyas played well and we got a few more runs towards the end. We (He and Iyer) had a lot of chats during the Asia Cup, we bat at 3 and 4, so this was the partnership that was needed to take the game forward. We don't have Hardik in the team, so we knew a wicket or two could cost us, we had to dig deep and take the match deep. I am grateful to god for giving me the chance to play and contribute to the team's success. It is great to get a hundred on my birthday in front of this big crowd at this great venue. The pitch is on the slower side, we have a quality bowling line-up as well, but we'll have to work hard. Wickets will be the key, getting a couple early will put them under pressure with the way this pitch is behaving," he added. Coming to the match, India opted to bat first and scored 326/5 in their 50 overs. Rohit Sharma (40 in 23 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Shubman Gill (23 in 24 balls with four fours and a six) provided India with a brisk start. After their dismissal, Virat carried on the innings with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 77 in 87 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Quickfire cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (22 in 14 balls, with five fours) and Ravindra Jadeja (29* in 15 balls with three fours and a six) helped India reach the 300-run mark. Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi all took a wicket each. India needs to defend 327 to keep its winning streak alive and SA needs to chase it down for its seventh win. Both teams have qualified for the semifinals. (ANI)
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