Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has praised Virat Kohli for keeping New Zealand on their toes despite early wickets falling in the run chase. Gavaskar feels that Kohli is still youthful, calling him probably ‘the fittest guy’ in Indian ODI side. The cricketer-turned-commentator is in awe of Kohli’s professionalism. He wishes that Kohli plays for several more players till his mid 40s.
“New Zealand would have been nervous the entire time Virat was at the crease. He was the one guy who could take the game away from them, and for long periods it looked like he might. It was a brilliant innings. He came in relatively early and lost five different partners along the way. Those partnerships later on with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana were important as well. Some of the shots were just crisp and clean. Beyond that, it’s how he maneuvers the field and how he runs between the wickets. There’s still an air of youth about him. Despite his age and experience, he’d probably still be the fittest guy in that side. That’s professionalism. The willingness to keep trying to win games, to drag your team back into the contest when they’re so far behind, and to run as hard as he does, for his own runs and for his teammates. There’s so much to love about how he’s playing at the moment. May he stick around in international cricket until he’s 44 or 45 years-old,” Gavaskar said on JioStar.
Kohli scored 124 runs from 108 balls in the unsuccessful run chase at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium. He shared crucial partnerships with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana to keep the run chase alive. In the end, Kohli could not carry the run chase on his back in slog overs. After his dismissal, India were bowled out for 296, losing the match by 41 runs.
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Gavaskar wants youngsters to learn consistency from Kohli
Gavaskar also praised Kohli for playing according to the situation and not sticking to just one gear. He feels that the 37-year-old does not pay heed to the expectations and takes the game till the end. He wants the youngsters to learn how to be consistent.
“The thing about him is that he’s not tied down to an image. A lot of batters and bowlers are constrained by how they’re perceived, and they feel they must live up to that image. Virat isn’t like that. He’s tied to the job at hand, and that job is to score runs. Sometimes, that means starting watchfully and then opening up. Sometimes, it means attacking early and then spreading the field and picking up ones and twos. He’s not governed by expectations of how he should play. That temperament is the key. He doesn’t think, ‘I’m expected to hit a six.’ He plays according to the situation. He never gives up. Even till the end, he was trying. Perhaps, the gloves got a bit sweaty and the grip went slightly, which is why the bat face turned and he was caught near the boundary ropes. For youngsters, that’s the biggest lesson, don’t live up to an image. Play the situation, and you’ll be far more consistent than you ever imagined,” he said.
From three innings, Kohli scored 240 runs at an average of 80 and strike rate of 105.26. He scored a century and a fifty each in the series.
When will Kohli’s next ODI appearance
He will be next seen in action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as India’s next ODI series is against England in July.