“Yes, Kohli is selfish” - Venkatesh Prasad reacts sarcastically to arguments about Virat Kohli being obsessed with personal milestones

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has slammed critics who have termed Virat Kohli as “selfish” and a cricketer who is “obsessed with personal milestones”. In a hard-hitting post on his X handle, Prasad hailed Kohli for being “selfish” in the right manner.

On Sunday, Kohli equaled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons. He scored 101* off 121 balls on his 35th birthday as India batted first and posted 326/5 in the 2023 World Cup match against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Indian bowlers then bundled out the Proteas for 83 in 27.1 overs.

While Kohli won plaudits for his excellent knock, a few claimed that he was being selfish and playing for personal gains. The so-called critics referred to the batter slowing down towards the end of the innings. Throwing his weight behind Kohli, Prasad wrote on his X handle:

“Hearing funny arguments about Virat Kohli being Selfish and obsessed with personal milestone. Yes Kohli is selfish, selfish enough to follow the dream of a billion people, selfish enough to strive for excellence even after achieving so much, selfish enough to set new benchmarks, selfish enough to ensure his team wins. Yes, Kohli is selfish.”

Kohli struck 10 fours on Sunday, adding 134 runs for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer (77 off 87).

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“I am never going to be as good as him” - Kohli reacts after equaling Tendulkar’s feat

After being named Player of the Match for his record-equaling 49th ODI hundred, Kohli downplayed the comparisons with Tendulkar and humbly stated that he could never be as good as his hero.

He said at the post-match presentation ceremony:

"To equal my hero's record in ODIs is something that is a huge honor for me. I know that people like comparisons but I am never going to be as good as him [Sachin]. There's a reason why we've all looked up to him. He's perfection when it comes to batting... he's always going to be my hero regardless of what happens."

“It's a very emotional moment for me. I know where I come from, I know the days that I've watched him play on TV, so just to stand here and get this appreciation from someone like him means a lot to me," Kohli added, while reacting to Tendulkar praising him on social media.

The former India captain is the second-leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup with 543 runs in eight innings at an average of 108.60 and a strike rate of 88.29.