Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu was left impressed by Virat Kohli’s batting in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park. Rayudu noted that even Shubman Gill, the current No. 1-ranked ODI batter, struggled to score freely on a challenging surface. Kohli, however, looked completely at ease and played a match-winning knock of 74 off just 51 balls to guide India towards victory.
New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after Gill won the toss and elected to field following a brief spell of rain. Arshdeep Singh was India’s leading wicket-taker with figures of 4/70, while Gurnoor Brar picked up three wickets for 44 runs. Anshul Kamboj also made an impact, finishing with 2/22.
Kohli made an important contribution in the field as well. He pulled off a brilliant diving catch at second slip to send Nathan Smith back to the pavilion.
Kohli takes charge after Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal
India’s chase did not get off to the best possible start as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the opening over. Kohli walked in early and immediately took responsibility for keeping the innings on track.
Rain interrupted India’s chase twice. The first stoppage came when India were 54/1. A second spell of rain reduced the match to 32 overs, leaving India with a revised DLS target of 143 runs.
Despite the difficult conditions, Kohli looked comfortable at the crease and scored at a brisk pace, leaving the opposition with little room to fight back.
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Ambati Rayudu praises Kohli, takes a dig at the gap between batters
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Rayudu highlighted how difficult the Eden Park pitch was for batting. He pointed out that even Gill, despite being the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, would have found it hard to play aggressively on that surface.
Rayudu also suggested that Gill, who was at the other end, would have realised that Kohli was better placed to take control of the chase.
The former India batter went a step further, saying that only a handful of players in world cricket could produce such an innings on a difficult surface. He also felt Kohli had every reason to celebrate his performance.
“He showed off today; it’s unbelievable. I think only 2 or 3 batters in the world can do that on this surface and he has every right to show off. This is a day he knows that he can show everyone what the difference or the gap is between him and all the others,” Rayudu said.
Kohli will now be seen featuring in the second ODI against New Zealand, which will take place on November 7 at Hnry Stadium in Wellington.