Indian batsman KL Rahul took a dig at Rohit Sharma’s selfless approach and supported Virat Kohli as he faced criticism and trolling for being selfish in scoring a century during a group match of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai.
The 2023 ICC World Cup clash between India and Australia in Chennai witnessed one of the most memorable comebacks in recent Indian cricket history and one of its most controversial reactions. Chasing the target of 200 runs, India had a very bad start and within two overs their score became 2 wickets for 3 wickets.
KL Rahul breaks silence on ‘selfish’ tag; Took a subtle dig at Rohit Sharma
But KL Rahul and Virat Kohli rebuilt the innings with composure and class, leading India to a stunning 6-wicket win over Australia with 52 balls to spare in Chennai. Rahul’s innings of 97 not out off 115 balls with the help of 8 fours and 2 sixes was an excellent example of maintaining composure under pressure.
The Karnataka batsman stitched a match-winning partnership of 165 runs with Kohli, who scored a brilliant 85 against Australia. As the chase entered the 42nd over, Rahul was on 91, with India needing only five more runs to win. The right-handed batsman needed to hit a four and a six to reach his century and that was clearly what he had in mind.
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Remember KL Rahul’s heartbreak at the 2023 ICC World Cup
But when he played a brilliant cover drive with perfect timing, the ball went over the ropes for six runs. The shot sealed a stunning victory for India, yet it deprived Rahul of a good century, leaving him unbeaten on 97. And then the right-handed batsman’s immediate reaction said it all.
His obvious disappointment after the winning shot drew mixed emotions from fans. Some sympathized with him as he missed the milestone by just three runs; Others criticized Rahul, highlighting Rohit Sharma’s famously selfless attitude and team-first mentality.
Interestingly, Rahul had received support from Virat Kohli to reach the milestone in that situation, and now he indirectly appreciated his former captain’s approach, as the latter did not even let such a chance slip away. He explained that victory always comes first, once victory is assured players naturally think about reaching personal milestones.
Who doesn’t want a World Cup 100?: KL Rahul
“I saw someone had commented that we won the match, but he was so selfish that he was worried about the 100. Look, winning the match is the most important thing and we all do that,” KL Rahul told Taran Deep and Shubham Goud on their YouTube channel “2 Sloggers”.
Rahul shared that India only needed a few runs with a lot of wickets left, so his aim was to both win and complete his century. He explained, “But if you get into a situation where winning is inevitable, you need 5 runs, 6 wickets and a lot of overs; you will win.”
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He signed off by saying, “I think I, or any player in that scenario, if he has worked hard, deserves to try to reach a milestone if possible. And that’s what I was calculating, and I tried to hit it for 4. We needed 5 runs. If I hit 4 and then I hit 6, I could have got to that 100, and who doesn’t want a World Cup 100?” Is it?”
Perfectly described by KL Rahul. If winning is inevitable then why not take the risk of completing a milestone. After all everyone loves milestones and big things like World Cup 100
It is not selfish to try to achieve a milestone when winning is inevitable. pic.twitter.com/CkNMMihF17
– Sanidhya (@Sanidhya5) 28 October 2025
