Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif praised Virat Kohli for carrying his sensational form in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland on Wednesday. The visitors registered a comprehensive five-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Chasing a DLS target of 143 runs, Kohli scored more than half of the runs in the run-chase, scoring 74 runs off just 51 balls. The pitch had extra bounce and seam movement for the pacers but Kohli batted at the top of his game to score 13 fours and a six.
Kohli reached his 80th ODI fifty off just 35 balls as he batted at the top of his game on a tricky pitch.
In the last 14 ODI innings, Kohli has breached the 50 plus score on 10 occasions. Kaif highlighted that some Indian batters, who have in New Zealand for almost a month, struggled to get going on a challenging wicket but Kohli was able to hit the ground running despite playing after some time.
“If Kohli had gotten out, the game could have gone deeper, as we saw a mini collapse after his wicket. He made 74, and the second-highest was 37. If a lot of people think ODI cricket is easy, what were the other batters doing in this game? Few batters have been in New Zealand for 25 days now but were struggling. And Kohli, who came in after a month on a difficult pitch, took complete control and made India win. There seems to be no pressure on his face when he bats. He is enjoying and playing. Those who created pressure on him will be ashamed now for saying his time was over. He is taking one-handed catches, fielding, chasing and doing his role. If you look at his last 15 innings, no one is playing better than him in the world right now,” Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Kaif praised Kohli for his effort in the field and also the brilliant catch he took to dismiss Nathan Smith.
“Kohli keeps talking and has eye contact with players. Many people think what is he doing? But this is his way of playing. The one-handed catch he took is also because he keeps himself so involved in the game, be it in fielding or batting. He is the chase master, has great body language and changes the entire environment. No other player can bring the effect on the team’s energy as he does.”
The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Saturday.
