“What I said was wrong. I am feeling for it,” Kusal Mendis defends himself after refusing to CONGRATULATE Virat Kohli for scoring his 49th ODI century

When he was asked by a journalist whether he wanted to congratulate Kohli on his record, Mendis shocked everyone by asking why he would want to congratulate Kohli.

“What I said was wrong. I am feeling for it,” Kusal Mendis defends himself after refusing to CONGRATULATE Virat Kohli for scoring his 49th ODI century

Virat Kohli and Kusal Mendis (Images via X, YouTube)

Former India captain Virat Kohli slammed his 49th ODI century and equaled the tally with Sachin Tendulkar. He achieved that feat during India’s match against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. On that same day, Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis appeared for the customary pre-match press conference before they met Bangladesh.

When he was asked by a journalist whether he wanted to congratulate Kohli on his record, Mendis shocked everyone by asking why he would want to congratulate Kohli. He then had to deal with intense criticism from Kohli fans.

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Mendis has now defended himself by saying that during the press conference, he did not understand the question well, but now feels bad for responding that way. He also praised Kohli for his incredible feat.

During the press conference, I wasn't aware that Kohli had scored his 49th hundred.
Mendis told Asian Mirror.

He added:

When a journalist suddenly asked, I did not know what to say, and I did not understand the question either. Scoring 49 hundred is not easy. What I said was wrong, I feel for it.

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Virat Kohli recalled Ravi Shastri’s reaction after his 82 vs Pakistan in T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli is not only enjoying incredible form in the ongoing World Cup but has played some breathtaking knocks as well. He has already scored two centuries in the tournament.

Virat Kohli Kusal Mendis
Virat Kohli (Image via X)

But last year, he dealt with intense criticism, because he was dealing with a rough patch and nothing seemed to work for him. After a one-month break from all forms of cricket, he played in the Asia Cup and, as they say, the rest is history.

During the T20 World Cup last year, the cricket world was left awestruck watching a formidable Kohli light up the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the eve of Diwali with an astounding 82* to snatch victory from Pakistan. Ahead of India’s last group stage match against the Netherlands in the ongoing ODI World Cup, Kohli recalled his meeting with former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Kohli, on Star Sports’ ‘Believe: The Diwali Miracle’ said Shastri embraced him in a big hug and was emotional on that night. He said Shastri saw him closely during his lean-patch phase, and that he had conversations related to cricket with the ex-India coach as well. Kohli recalled Shastri saying he was so happy for him.

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