Virat Kohli hit his 48th ODI century and helped India win their fourth successive match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Thursday. For the team, the seven-wicket win -- and how it was achieved -- over Bangladesh in Pune reinforced India's title credentials. For Kohli, the knock which ended his long wait for a third World Cup hundred, added new aspects to his chase-mater moniker. (Scorecard | Match Report | Full Coverage)
But in the 42nd over of the Indian innings, something very weird happened which raised eyebrows. With India needing a couple of runs, and Kohli still on 97, Nasum Ahmed's first delivery veered down the leg. The ball went past the former India captain as he shifted toward the wickets. Umpire Richard Kettleborough didn't signal wide.
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This decision by Kettleborough prompted criticism from some quarters, with suspicions that he may have given Kohli the chance to reach his century rather than making a standard judgment on the delivery. Here, it's pertinent to mention that a change in the Laws of Cricket in 2022 may have played a role in this scenario. It was introduced to benefit bowlers but, ironically ended up potentially assisting the batter in this case.
Before the change, clause 22.1.1 in the MCC Laws of Cricket, addressing the judgment of a wide, stated, "If the bowler bowls a ball, not a No ball, the umpire shall adjudge it a Wide if, according to the definition in 22.1.2, the ball passes wide of where the striker is standing and which also would have passed wide of the striker standing in a normal guard position."
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In March 2022, the MCC announced a new Code of Laws to be made effective from 1 October 2022 and it impacted Clause 22.1 significantly.
Law 22.1 has been amended so that a wide will apply to where the batter is standing, where the striker has stood at any point since the bowler began their run-up, and which would also have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting position. Before that, batters were getting the advantage of shifting their positions within or outside the crease, which was creating a huge problem for the bowlers.
Kohli reached his third ODI Cricket World Cup ton with a six. In the process, the 34-year-old from Delhi also became the quickest in the history of the men's game to score 26,000 runs in international cricket, bettering the previous record, held by Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli also moved just one behind Tendulkar for the most centuries in ODI cricket.
India will face New Zealand in their next match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Dharamsala on 22 October.
