IND vs SA: Gautam Gambhir Reveals Reason Behind Giving His PoTM Award To Virat Kohli In 2009
Published - 05 Nov 2023, 05:55 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:21 AM
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir revealed why he gave away his Man of the Match award to Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka in 2009. Gautam Gambhir stated that if he were in Virat Kohli’s place, receiving such recognition would have been profoundly memorable.
Virat Kohli and Gambhir engaged in a heated exchange after a closely fought match at the Ekana Stadium in the IPL 2023. Notably, Gambhir presented his Man of the Match award to Virat Kohli following a game against Sri Lanka in which Kohli achieved his first ODI century.
People Don’t Give Compliments – Gautam Gambhir
While doing commentary for Star Sports during the India-South Africa match, Gautam Gambhir explained the reason for giving his Man of the Match award to Virat Kohli back in 2009. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the maiden century of a young player.
“People don’t give compliments, that’s why I don’t take compliments. If I was in place of Kohli and someone would have done it for me, it would have been very memorable. You hit many hundreds, but the first century would be closest. We were 20/2 and a youngster hit a hundred,” Gambhir said when Kohli was batting in the middle, as quoted by MyKhel.
Kohli and Gambhir added a remarkable 224-run partnership for the third wicket, rescuing the team from 23/2 at the Eden Gardens. Virat scored 107 runs from 114 balls, while Gambhir added 150 runs off 137 balls during the successful chase of 316 runs.
Virat Kohli’s Impressive Batting Form In World Cup 2023
Virat Kohli has been in sensational form with the bat in the ongoing World Cup at home. Before the match against South Africa, he scored 442 runs in 7 matches at an impressive average of 88.40 and a decent strike rate of 89.47, including a century and four fifties.
The Delhi-born cricketer continued his rich vein of form in the ongoing match in Kolkata on Sunday. He completed his half-century in the team’s penultimate match of the tournament. He will be hoping to make his birthday memorable with a century that equals the record of Sachin Tendulkar.
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Gautam Gambhir ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 ICC ODI World Cup 2023 India National Cricket Team Virat Kohli