Virat Kohli yet again turned India's troubleshooter and delivered a masterful century in the third ODI against New Zealand at the Holkar stadium in Indore on January 18. This was Kohli's 54th ODI century, waging a nearly solo battle against New Zealand. Chasing a formidable target of 337, Kohli reached the milestone in 91 deliveries, anchoring the innings with a balanced knock that included eight boundaries and two sixes. Despite his brilliance, he found himself repeatedly searching for a partner as the rest of the top order faltered under pressure.
The chase began with early setbacks as the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill failed to provide a solid foundation. After a brief 28-run start, Rohit was dismissed for 11 by Zakary Foulkes, and Gill soon followed, cleaned up by Kyle Jamieson for 23. The middle order offered little resistance; Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were dismissed for 3 and 1, respectively, leaving Kohli to watch from the non-striker's end as the wickets collapsed around him.
A glimmer of hope emerged when all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy joined Kohli to inject some much-needed momentum into the chase. Reddy played a promising knock of 53, but his dismissal just as he settled in left India in further trouble. Following Ravindra Jadeja’s quick exit for 12, Kohli was forced to continue the uphill battle alongside Harshit Rana, remaining the primary obstacle between New Zealand and victory.