Virat Kohli gives death stare after Hardik Pandya denies second run in 1st ODI vs SL
Virat Kohli does not like dot balls. If not going for boundaries or sixes, Kohli tends to keep the scoreboard going with quick singles.
And he rather enjoys playing alongside batters who tend to push hard for that extra run and keep adding pressure on the opposition. Hardik Pandya is one such batter.
Yet Kohli seemed furious, highlighted through his death stare, when the India all-rounder denied him a second run during the first ODI match against Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Hardik later avoided eye contact with Kohli. (India vs Sri Lanka Live Score 1st ODI)
It happened in the 43rd over of India’s innings when Kohli played the length delivery from Kasun Rajitha with soft hands. He nudged the delivery behind square on the on-side and quickly took off for a single. He then rushed back for a second and was almost halfway through before Hardik denied him the run and sent him back.
Kohli wasn’t happy with the call from Hardik and gave him a death stare. Hardik did not look back.
An over later, Hardik was dismissed by the same bowler when he looked to take on the slower one over long-on. He departed for 14 off 12.
Meanwhile, Kohli, for the first time in three years, scored back-to-back tons in the format. He scored 113 runs against Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI and had notched up an identical score in his previous ODI game as well, against Bangladesh. Overall, this was his 45th ODI ton, which places him four short of levelling Sachin Tendulkar’s centiry record in the format.
“I helped the team get 20 runs extra, rather than 350. It’s going to be the same thing. Someone will have to score a 150, or 140 to chase this down. But it also gives our bowlers a chance to bowl with dew coming into play. I am quite aware of what I eat, diet is the most important thing at this age. That keeps me in prime shape. That helps me give my 100 percent for the team,” Kohli said after the end of India’s innings where the hosts set a target of 374 runs.