India’s star batter Virat Kohli scored his 46th ODI century at the Greenfield International Stadium at Thiruvananthapuram and helped the Men in Blue in clinching the series.
In his match-winning knock of 166, Kohli smashed eight sixes and thirteen fours. The 34-year-old batter built a 131-run partnership with Shubman Gill, who scored 116 off 97 balls.
During his blazing century, Kohli hit MS Dhoni-like helicopter shot and was heard yelling ‘Mahi Shot’ to his partner Shreyas Iyer. The incident took place on the third ball of the 46th over when Kohli hit the Sri Lankan pacer Kasun Rajitha for a maximum.
Going down the track, Kohli executed a full-fledged Dhoni-style helicopter shot off Rajitha to send the ball into the stands for a huge 97-metre six. The shot by the right-handed batter became a major talking point on social media, and the fans were thrilled to see the ‘Mahi touch’ in his ton.
He said "Mahi Shot" in the end ?#Mahirat ?
— Manoj Kumar (@its_manu01) January 15, 2023
Before getting to his hundred, Kohli just had hit one six, but he went beast mode after reaching the three-figure mark and added seven more to his tally. It was the fifth time that he went past the 150-run mark in the 50-overs format. The Delhi-born cricketer was the top scorer for India in the three-match rubber with 283 runs.
In the post-match presentation, Kohli revealed that he only plays for the right reasons and has no desperation to reach any milestone.
“Mindset is always to help the team win, bat for as long as possible and if you do that, you end up making a difference. I have always played for the right reasons, help the team as much as possible. It is just intent, playing for the right reasons. Ever since I came back from the long break, I have been feeling good. I don’t have that desperation to get to a milestone,” said Kohli.
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