ODI World Cup 2023 Cricket News

WATCH: Kusal Mendis reacts to Virat Kohli scoring his 49th ODI hundred

Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI hundred against South Africa. Kusal Mendis was asked to react on the same by a reporter in the pre-match conference of the game against Bangladesh. The reply of Kusal did not go well with many.

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Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis and Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

Virat Kohli completed his 49th ODI hundred during the match against South Africa in the ODI World Cup 2023. The Indian number 3 equalled Sachin Tendulkar for the most number of hundreds by a batter in ODIs. In the process, Virat became the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. Virat now has 2 hundreds and 4 fifties in 8 matches in the tournament. 

Virat scored an unbeaten 101*(121) in the match against the Proteas. The knock of Virat helped India to score 326 runs in their 50 overs. India went on to win the match by a huge margin of 243 runs after dismissing South Africa for just 83 runs. The win of India has assured them of topping the table. India is sure to play in the semifinal, along with South Africa, and has just one game left in the group stage of the tournament.

On the other hand, other teams are looking to perform their best in the remainder of the tournament. Two such teams are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh is out of the tournament already and will be looking to secure a spot in the Champions Trophy 2025. Sri Lanka has a slim chance to enter the semifinal stage of the tournament. 

'Why would I want to congratulate him?' - Kusal Mendis

A win is crucial for both the teams in Delhi. Kusal Mendis, the Sri Lankan captain, had arrived at the pre-match conference. As Virat scripted history in Kolkata. Mendis was reminded of it by a reporter in the press conference. The reporter said that Virat created history against South Africa and asked Mendis if he would congratulate the Indian cricketer on his achievement. 

Kusal looked perplexed at the question of the reporter. With a wry laugh, Mendis replied with a counter question to the reporter. "Why would I want to congratulate him?" asked Mendis to the reporter and laughed about the bizarre question. Mendis was criticized on social media for his straightforward reply to the reporter. A win against Bangladesh in Delhi would help Sri Lanka a lot.

Watch the reply of Mendis here -

India ODI World Cup 2023 Kusal Mendis Virat Kohli Featured