Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI century has been sensational news for all cricket fans. After achieving this record, a special focus is given to Mohammad Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI ton.
The prediction given by the former Bangladesh skipper ahead of the first semi-final clash between India and New Zealand turned out to be completely real.
Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI ton: The former Bangladesh skipper’s opinion
The former Bangladesh skipper highlights the league match of World Cup 2023 against New Zealand. Mohammad Ashraful showered praises on Virat Kohli for his best performance against New Zealand in a crucial run-chase.
Also, Ashraful highlights that Virat Kohli missed out on his 49th ODI ton against New Zealand by just 5 runs.
This was the main reason for Mohammad Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI ton. The former Bangladesh cricketer was confident that Virat Kohli would complete his 50th ODI ton against the same team.
At the same time, Mohammed Ashraful made an incorrect prediction about the semi-final match result. The former cricketer predicted that the Kiwis would easily win against the unbeaten team in this tournament.
Also, Ashraful predicted another statement accurately. The match would not be easy for both teams. However, this prediction turned out to be true as both the teams during the match, were in a difficult position to qualify for the finals.
India won the match by 70 runs against New Zealand to qualify for the finals. Once again after 20 years, both India and Australia meet in the World Cup finals.
Intriguing reasons for Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI Ton
Here are the prime reasons for how Mohammad Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI ton turned out to be real:
1. Chase Master:
Virat Kohli, with the ability to chase huge targets, is popularly known as the “Chase Master” in white ball cricket.
Mohammad Ashraful had the confidence that Virat Kohli is one such batsman who can be a constructive and destructive performer according to the game’s situation.
Moreover, Virat Kohli scored a maximum number of 27 ODI centuries while chasing targets against different opposition teams.
Whereas, Kohli achieved 23 centuries while batting first. This was the record before the Semi-final match between India and New Zealand.
Especially, in this edition of the World Cup, Virat Kohli played a crucial role by guiding his team to successful run chases. India won all 5 matches while chasing targets in this tournament. Out of which, Virat Kohli played a major role against the 4 different teams to steer his team to a winning total.
Here are the records of Virat Kohli’s scores while chasing a target in World Cup 2023 matches:
AUSTRALIA: Won by 6 wickets
- At 2-3, the Australians seemed completely dominant against India. However, Virat Kohli’s 85 runs from 116 balls held a steady partnership with KL Rahul.
- The responsible innings played by Virat Kohli guided his team to comfortably chase the target of 200 runs.
AFGHANISTAN: Won by 8 wickets
- Chasing a target of 273 runs in 50 overs against Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma set a platform after scoring 131 runs from 84 balls.
- Virat Kohli’s 55 runs from 56 balls, helped India reach the target with ease.
BANGLADESH: Won by 7 wickets
- Chasing a target of 257 runs in 50 overs, Virat Kohli achieved his 48th ODI century by hitting a six to complete the match and his hundred.
- Virat Kohli’s 103 runs from 97 balls guided India to another comfortable run chase in this tournament.
NEW ZEALAND: Won by 4 wickets
- Chasing a target of 274 runs in 50 overs, Virat Kohli delivered another fantastic performance of 95 runs from 104 balls. The chase master was successful in making his team reach the winning total.
- Unfortunately, Kohli was not able to achieve his 49th ODI century in an attempt to smash a six.
2. Rohit Sharma’s rapid start as an opener :
This has been one of the major reasons for Ashraful’s accurate prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI ton. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s selfless innings paved the opportunity for upcoming batsmen to make high individual scores.
As a result, Virat Kohli can take his team to settle on the crease and start playing perfect shots that convert into huge runs.
3. Missing out 3 centuries in a single tournament:
Virat Kohli was more determined to achieve this milestone after missing 3 centuries by a slight margin against Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.
As Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul scored centuries against the Netherlands, it would have further motivated Virat Kohli to perform with different batting techniques.
Overall Facts about Ashraful’s Accurate Prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI Ton
Finally, Virat Kohli fans hail Mohammad Ashraful’s Accurate Prediction about Kohli’s 50th ODI Ton.
This was one such prediction that became real by creating many historical records that inspire the present and upcoming generation cricketers.
