Virat Kohli is a champion cricketer known for his ultra-aggressiveness on a cricket pitch. For someone who wears his emotions on his sleeves, the ex-India captain has often confronted opposition players on the field. However, the 34-year-old has also earned worldwide praise for his sportsmanship spirit, which was the case during his recent outing against Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup. Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq share a bitter history, having been involved in one of the most ugly spats in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year. 

 

But fans began trolling Naveen-ul-Haq after Virat Kohli arrived at the crease to bat against Afghanistan. At this stage, the Team India talisman gestured toward the crowd that mocking an athlete based on his past acts wasn't a good gesture on the part of the audience.  

 

Subsequently, Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq buried the hatchet, with the former seen chatting with the latter during a drinks break. 

 

A warm hug between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq followed as both smiled for the cameras.

 

As Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq resolved their differences, netizens flooded X, previously Twitter, with hilarious memes to express their opinion on the development.

Cricket supporters from the world over paid rich tributes to Virat Kohli after the former India skipper scripted World Cup history. 

Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 55 against Afghanistan, zoomed past his idol Sachin Tendulkar to become the leading run-scorer in ICC World Cups, including its ODI competition and T20 versions.

 

Sachin Tendulkar, who participated in only ODI World Cups, finished his illustrious career in the quadrennial event with 2,278 runs, including six tons and 15 half-centuries.

 

The Little Master scored his runs at an impressive average of 56.95. The ‘God of Cricket' did not participate in T20I World Cups.

 

On the other hand, Virat Kohli, who has played 55 matches across the ODI and T20I World Cups, has 2,311 runs in ICC white-ball World Cups.

 

Virat Kohli accomplished the feat in front of his home fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The former India captain hit an unbeaten fifty following captain Rohit Sharma's blistering hundred to wrap up an easy eight-wicket triumph for India.

 

Virat Kohli, who bailed out India from a tricky position in their World Cup opener against Australia, scoring a fighting 85 in Chennai, remained unbeaten on 55 off 56 balls in Delhi.

 

After Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat, India restricted them to 272/8 on a belter of a track. Former cricketers, including India's 2011 World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir, criticized the curators for preparing such a pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which had nothing for the bowlers.

 

“You can't make such tracks, which have nothing for the bowlers. Such pitches are bad exhibitions for cricket. There has to be something for the pacers and spinners. Scoring 400 runs or 350 runs will not help the future generations who want to make cricket their profession,” Gautam Gambhir said on air during the match.

 

However, the Indian bowlers, led by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, kept a tightrope on the Afghan batters throughout their essay. Except for their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62), no other Afghanistan batter got going, and in the end, they finished with a below-par score of 272/8.

 

India's response was all about the Rohit Sharma show. The India captain's blitzkrieg was such that Afghan bowlers were left stunned, as they had no answers to his explosive batting prowess at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

 

Smoking boundaries and sixes at will, Rohit Sharma completed his fifty in just 30 balls before blasting his 31st ODI hundred in only 63 balls.

 

In the process, Rohit Sharma broke former India captain Kapil Dev's milestone for the quickest century in the World Cup.

 

In the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev completed a ton in 72 balls. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma touched the milestone in only 63 deliveries against Afghanistan.

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Subsequently, the India captain lost his wicket to Rashid Khan, but not before he smashed a stunning 131 off 84 balls.

 

With his three-figure score in the national capital, he overhauled Sachin Tendulkar's mark for the most centuries in ICC ODI World Cups.

 

Rohit Sharma's century against Afghanistan was the 36-year-old's seventh in Cricket World Cup history. Remarkably, Rohit Sharma has scored seven tons in only three World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

 

In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar participated in five editions of the World Cup from 1992 to 2011 for his six centuries. His last World Cup hundred came against South Africa in 2011 when he made a quickfire 111 against South Africa in Bengaluru.

 

Sachin Tendulkar required 41 knocks for his six centuries, while Rohit Sharma accomplished in his 19th World Cup innings.

 

After Rohit Sharma surpassed him in the centuries department in the Cricket World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar hailed his achievement.

 

“Two fine performances by Bumrah and Rohit, who were well supported by the bowling and batting units respectively. The 2 games have seen different players contributing and that sets things up nicely for the 14th of October. Look forward!,” Sachin Tendulkar posted on the microblogging platform.

 

Also, Rohit Sharma shattered West Indies legend Chris Gayle's long-standing record for most sixes in international cricket.

 

Universe Boss Chris Gayle smashed 553 maximums in 551 knocks across formats, while Rohit Sharma has hit 556 sixes in only 473 innings.

 

Going back to Virat Kohli, the premier India batter, created a new world record in his previous outing against Australia last week.

 

Virat Kohli overhauled Sri Lanka batting great Kumar Sangakkara's tally of most 50+ scores as a non-opener in ODIs. With his fifty against Australia, the former India captain has 113 such scores. Kumar Sangakkara made 112 fifty-plus scores in 359 knocks in 50-over cricket.

 

Besides, Virat Kohli became the fastest to score 15,000 international runs in Asia.

 

With his 85-run knock against the Pat Cummins-led side, Virat Kohli toppled Sachin Tendulkar from the perch of players with the most runs in successful run-chases in ODIs.

At present, Virat Kohli's tally in India's wins while chasing in the 50-over format reads 5,572 runs in 93 innings at a stunning average of over 90.

 

Sachin Tendulkar made 5,490 runs in 124 innings in successful run chases.