(Image Source: ICC)
[Saba Sports News] Virat Kohli’s exceptional batting skills were instrumental in India’s impressive victory over New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023 on Tuesday. The Indian team continued their unbeaten streak in the tournament, securing their fifth consecutive win. It wasn’t just Kohli who shone; the entire Indian squad displayed outstanding performance on the field. Moreover, this thrilling match led to a significant surge in viewership for broadcasters.
During India’s match against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 22, 2023, Virat’s exceptional batting prowess reached its peak, resulting in a remarkable surge in simultaneous viewership for Disney+ Hotstar. The streaming platform achieved a historic milestone by recording an astonishing 43 million concurrent viewers. This achievement now stands as the highest-ever recorded concurrent viewership across all cricket formats, surpassing the previous record set during the India-Pakistan match in the same tournament, which had 35 million viewers.
Additionally, this clash between India and New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 exceeded the previous viewership record established during their semi-final encounter in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, which had 25 million viewers.
India’s victory was orchestrated by Virat Kohli’s outstanding batting and a remarkable performance by Mohammed Shami, who became the first Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in ODI World Cups. Shami’s inclusion in the lineup came as a result of Hardik Pandya’s injury against Bangladesh, leading to the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav to compensate for Pandya’s absence, while Shardul Thakur was sidelined.
Virat Kohli, also known as the ‘chasemaster,’ played a pivotal role in India’s recent win against Bangladesh and delivered another exceptional performance in this match. He came tantalizingly close to securing his second consecutive ODI century but fell just five runs short.
Interestingly, the number of runs needed for Kohli’s hundred matched the runs required for India’s victory, but he was dismissed by Matt Henry when he was nearing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries.