'People said It in 2013, they say it in 2026': T20 World Cup winner labels Virat Kohli as India's best ODI batter

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan lavished praise on batting great Virat Kohli after he smashed his 54th ODI century in the third and final match of the recently concluded series against New Zealand at Holkar Stadium in Indore. The former all-rounder labelled Kohli as India's finest ODI batter.

Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli's consistency

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan highlighted Kohli’s consistency and long career at the top level. He pointed out that for more than a decade, from around 2013 right through to 2026, Kohli has regularly been seen as India’s best performer in the ODIs. Pathan also admitted that Kohli continued to score runs no matter who has been leading the team, whether it was MS Dhoni, Kohli himself, Rohit Sharma, or the current captain, Shubman Gill.

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"Virat Kohli once again showed why he is such a great player. Back in 2013, when I was also playing, people used to say Virat Kohli is the best batter in the Indian team currently. In 2016, people also used to call him the best batter in the Indian team. Now, 10 years later in 2026, people are still calling Virat Kohli the best batter in India's ODI side. There's no doubt about it. He scored runs under MS Dhoni's captaincy, under his own captaincy, under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, and now under young Shubman Gill's captaincy too," Pathan said.

Irfan Pathan on Kohli's fitness and consistency

Pathan recalled that during his playing days, Kohli was labelled as one of the best batters. He noted that the same conversation happened again a few years later and is still happening today, which, according to him, says everything about Kohli’s class and consistency. Pathan added that Kohli’s ability to perform under different leaders shows how reliable he has been for the Indian team over the years.

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The former cricketer also spoke about Kohli’s fitness, saying it has barely dipped despite the passing years. He described Kohli as a “run machine” who simply keeps turning up and scoring runs. Pathan said Kohli’s energy, running between the wickets and overall sharpness look as good as ever, if not better than before. While the century came in a losing effort, he felt it was still a special knock.

"Another 100 for Virat 'Run Machine' Kohli. When we saw Virat Kohli's fitness, the way he runs, there's absolutely no change in his fitness. In fact, it looks like he has only gotten better. He plays, scores runs and repeats. Unfortunately, the century came in the losing cause, but it was a magnificent century, nonetheless," the former Indian cricketer said.

Kohli's century goes in vain

Kohli went on to register his 85th international hundred, scoring 124 off 108 balls while chasing a stiff target of 338 set by New Zealand. It was his fourth century in his last eight ODI innings, which also includes a hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Despite Kohli’s valiant effort, India fell short as New Zealand won the match by 41 runs and sealed the three-match series 2–1.