‘A hundred is a hundred, you can’t beat that’: Rohit Sharma hails Virat Kohli after India thrash Bangladesh in World Cup

India registered their fourth victory in a row at the World Cup on Thursday, brushing aside Bangladesh by seven wickets. Virat Kohli sealed victory with a superlative century, his 48th ODI triple-figure knock leaving one shy of Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record.

India overhauled Bangladesh’s 256/8 with 8.3 overs to spare, consolidating their second spot on the points table. India had beaten Australia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and despite a solid opening stand by the Bangladesh batters, India spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja pulled things back in the middle overs to restrict them to a below-par total on a batting track.

Skipper Rohit Sharma was buoyant after the result. “It was a good win, something that we were looking forward to. We did not start well but we pulled it back in the middle stages and at the back end as well,” Rohit said after the match. After a 93-run opening stand between Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das, both scoring fifties, Indian bowlers, backed by some inspired fielding and catching, brought India back into the match.

Bangladesh went from 110/2 after 20 overs to 179/5 in the 38th over before finishing with a modest total. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja all took two wickets while Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav took a wicket apiece. Their showing was particularly creditable as Hardik Pandya was forced off the field due to an ankle injury after bowling just three deliveries.

“Bowlers were smart enough to understand what sorts of lines and lengths were needed. Jadeja was brilliant with the ball and took a brilliant catch. But a hundred is a hundred — you cannot beat that,” Rohit added.

Kohli farmed the strike in the last phase of his innings, reaching his century with a six off left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, the shot also bringing up India’s win.

“Sorry for stealing the Player of the Match award from Jaddu. I wanted to make a big contribution. I have made fifties in World Cups, wanted to finish it off this time,” he said.

On getting the free hits at the start of his innings, Kohli said, “I was telling Shubman that even if you dream about this situation, you go back to sleep. It was a dream start. It just calms you down. The pitch was good and allowed me to play my game. I hit the gaps and found the boundaries whenever I could.”

India will next play table-toppers New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday. Bangladesh were left to rue what could have been. “If Tanzid and Litton had batted longer, it could have been a different ball game. Hopefully, in the next game, our batters can take responsibility,” skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said.