Michael Vaughan hits back at Mohammad Hafeez for calling Virat Kohli ‘selfish’

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticized Mohammad Hafeez for calling Virat Kohli “selfish” after Kohli’s century against South Africa during the World Cup 2023. Vaughan expressed his disagreement with Hafeez’s comments, describing them as “utter nonsense.” He praised Kohli for his responsible and match-winning knock on a challenging pitch.

Hafeez had earlier stated that he observed a sense of selfishness in Kohli’s batting during the match. He specifically pointed out an instance where Kohli was looking to take a single to reach his century instead of going for big shots in the death overs. Hafeez believed that Kohli should have prioritized the team’s needs over his personal milestone. He contrasted this with Rohit Sharma, who, in his opinion, played unselfish cricket for the team.

Hafeez said

“I saw a sense of selfishness in Virat Kohli‘s batting and this happened for the third time in this World Cup. In the 49th over, he was looking to take a single to reach his own hundred and he didn’t put the team first. Rohit Sharma could have played selfish cricket too, but he didn’t because he is playing for Team India and not for himself,” Hafeez was quoted as saying earlier.

Michael Vaughan, in his response, defended Kohli’s approach and highlighted India’s impressive performance in the tournament, having won against eight teams. He also noted that Kohli played a vital anchoring role in challenging conditions and that his century contributed to a comprehensive victory for the team.

Michael Vaughan hits back

“Come on @MHafeez22 !!! India have hammered 8 teams playing great cricket .. @imVkohli now has 49 tons and his last was an anchor role innings on a tricky pitch .. His team won by over 200 !!!! This is utter nonsense.. #CWC2023 #India #Pakistan.”

Virat Kohli’s century in that match allowed him to equal Sachin Tendulkar‘s record of 49 ODI hundreds. Kohli’s innings of 119 balls earned him the Player of the Match award, and India won the game by a convincing margin of 243 runs. Kohli’s consistent performances in the World Cup have solidified his status as one of India’s top batters in the tournament.

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