"What I Said Was..." - Kusal Mendis On Refusing To Congratulate Virat Kohli For 49th Ton

Sri Lanka star Kusal Mendis has clarified his statement regarding Virat Kohli, where he refrained from congratulating the Indian star on his 49th ODI hundred.

The former India skipper equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most centuries in ODIs by scoring a sublime unbeaten ton against South Africa at the Eden Gardens on last Sunday (November 5). He scored 101 off 121 balls to help India post a competitive total of 326 for 5. India had gone on to win the game by 243 runs after bowling out the Proteas for just 83.

Wishes poured in from all quarters after Virat Kohli’s stunning achievement. Kusal Mendis, however, was in no mood to congratulate the India batting star. The Sri Lanka skipper, who was leading the team in the absence of Dasun Shanaka, was informed about Kohli’s historic feat by a journalist during the pre-match press conference. When the reporter asked the Sri Lanka star whether he would like to congratulate Virat Kohli, Kusal Mendis said: “Why would I want to congratulate him?”

Reporter: Virat Kohli has just scored his 49th ODI ton. Would you like to congratulate him?

Kusal Mendis: Why would I want to congratulate him
(Courtesy ICC)#CWC23 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/83mYiR1JqW

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 5, 2023

Kusal Mendis clarifies his statement:

Almost a week after his surprising statement, Kusal Mendis clarified that he did not understand the question and also stated that his comments were wrong. He insisted that he did not know how to respond to the question before praising Kohli for his historic feat.

“During the press conference, I wasn’t aware that Kohli scored his 49th hundred, when journalist suddenly asked, I didn’t know what to say & I didn’t understand the question as well – scoring 49 hundreds is not easy – what I said was wrong, I am feeling for it,” Kusal Mendis was quoted as saying by Asian Mirror.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup and also failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy. They are currently at the ninth spot in the points table and could finish at the bottom spot if the Netherlands register an unlikely win over Team India on Sunday (November 12). The Islanders managed to win just 2 matches in the competition.

Talking about India, they have won all of their 8 games so far and would be looking to continue their winning run against the Netherlands. India will lock horns against New Zealand in the first semifinal on November 15 at the Wankhede Stadium.