‘Sab mei ek king ka fan chupa hua hai’ – Fans react as umpire does not give wide as Virat Kohli neared his century against Bangladesh in ODI World Cup 2023

India’s star batter Virat Kohli’s magnificent century guided Rohit Sharma and Co. to win their fourth game of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Bangladesh on October 19 at MCA in Pune. Notably, the Men in Blue defeated Australia, Afghanistan, and traditional rivals Pakistan in their previous games, and currently are in the second spot below New Zealand as the Black Caps possess a better NRR over hosts.

However, the delightful moment was caught when India’s batting legend Virat Kohli was on 97 runs during the play against Bangladesh. The on-field umpire, Richard Kettleborough, didn’t give the ball wide in a controversial decision, which guided the RCB stalwart to slam his 48th ODI ton during the game against Bangladesh on October 19 at MCA in Pune.

The incident occurred when Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed bowled a delivery that passed Virat Kohli’s pads down the leg side. Despite the ball appearing to be wide, Kettleborough did not adjudge it as such. Notably, following this incident, a plethora of fans called this a beautiful gesture by the on-field umpire, whereas others have sparked a major controversy.

Maybe not just, the Indians but also the umpire wanted to see Virat Kohli get that century: Harbhajan Singh

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh also jokingly said that the umpire also wishes to see Virat Kohli slamming his 48th ODI tonne during the game. The well-renowned cricket commentator also feels that there should not be any complaints if the umpire allowed him to smash his century.

“Well, I think that Wide ball was actually, you know, it was quite wide. Nevertheless, let’s leave that aside. I think Virat Kohli batted beautifully. You know, maybe not just, the Indians but also the umpire also wanted to see Virat Kohli getting that century. And that’s what makes everyone happy. No complaint on why it was not given wide whatsoever,” Harbhajan Singh said.

Check out how fans have reacted to this gesture by the umpire:

Sab mei ek 👑 ka fan chupa hua hai 😍

— Thums Up (@ThumsUpOfficial) October 19, 2023

Hindustan ki hawae aapko Salam krti hai pic.twitter.com/F8VAYjKMm0

— Tasneem Hanif 🇮🇳 (@TasneemKhatai) October 19, 2023

Salute to this Umpire 🫡

— Cricket Polls (@CricPollsdaily) October 19, 2023

It's not funny.

It should've been a wide ball. The umpire facilitated the century of Virat Kohli. It's not ethical at all.

— Ashish Ranjan (@citizenashish) October 19, 2023

Everyone included umpire want to see King Kohli century

— Kirkett (@bhaskar_sanu08) October 19, 2023