Virat Kohli tells net bowler 'agar maar padh bhi jaati hai to koi baat nahi' in pep talk, video goes viral

“Agar maar padh bhi jaati hai to koi baat nahi, par conviction se, ki main wo ball daal raha hu jo mujhe daalna hai, main wo ball nahi daal raha jo batsman mujhse dalwa raha hai (Even if you get hit, it’s fine. But you should have the conviction that you are delivering a ball that you want to, not the one the batter wants you to bowl),” Kohli told the net bowlers on the eve of first ODI.

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The 37-year-old had an extended nets session where he faced pacers, spinners and throwdown specialists.

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Kohli's purple patch

Kohli has been in stellar for of late. He overcame the two ducks in Australia with an unbeaten 74. Then, he scored two centuries and an unbeaten half-century in the series against South Africa. He answered the call to play domestic cricket as well. Playing two matches for Delhi in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, he registered scores of 131 and 77.

Milestones await Kohli

On January 11, Kohli will have chances to achieve milestones again. He needs just 25 more runs to become the fastest to 28,000 runs in international cricket. Legendary Sachin Tendulkar achieved the feat in 644 innings whereas Kohli can do it his 624th.

Also, Kohli needs a big knock to surpass Tendulkar on the list of highest ODI run-scorers against New Zealand. Currently, he is in the third spot with 1,657 runs at an average of 55.23, including six centuries and nine fifties. Tendulkar holds the second place with 1,750 runs from 41 innings at an average of 46.05, featuring five centuries and eight fifties. The top spot is occupied by Australia's Ricky Ponting with 1,971 runs from 50 innings at an average of 45.83, including six centuries and 12 fifties.