Such is the legend of Virat Kohli that everyone’s an admirer, if not a fan. So much so that even New Zealand’s media manager ensured he did not get ahead of himself as long as Kohli was batting. The 3rd ODI at Indore went through its usual ebbs and flows. India had New Zealand on the mat early before Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips hit centuries to post 338. India’s top order was rocked at 71/4 before Kohli’s 54th ODI century, and Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana’s maiden fifties staged India’s fightback.
At 159/5, when Reddy departed, the script looked all too familiar. With Kohli running out of partners, India appeared to be falling short. That Harshit added 99 runs with Kohli was a welcome boost, but even then, the asking rate was almost 11 an over with the last three wickets to go. With New Zealand on the brink of a famous win – they had never won an ODI series in India before – this was going to be special. But their media manager knew it wasn’t over until Kohli was around.
“Harshit Rana had just walked out to bat with Virat Kohli, when New Zealand’s media manager, who is a good friend, I texted him saying ‘Something special could be around the corner’. Guess his reply? ‘King’s out there in the middle. Not out of it yet.’ Virat Kohli has a global reputation which he has earned over the last decade and a half. New Zealand was 160 runs ahead, needed just four wickets, but their supporters still aren’t thinking about it because Virat was around,” renowned Indian broadcaster Jatin Sapru said.
{{/usCountry}}“Harshit Rana had just walked out to bat with Virat Kohli, when New Zealand’s media manager, who is a good friend, I texted him saying ‘Something special could be around the corner’. Guess his reply? ‘King’s out there in the middle. Not out of it yet.’ Virat Kohli has a global reputation which he has earned over the last decade and a half. New Zealand was 160 runs ahead, needed just four wickets, but their supporters still aren’t thinking about it because Virat was around,” renowned Indian broadcaster Jatin Sapru said.
{{/usCountry}}What were the positives?
Kohli’s 124 not out was a throwback to the 1990s, as he waged a lone battle, like his idol Sachin Tendulkar did around 30 years back. Kohli’s Indore fight had shades of Sachin’s 175 in Hyderabad. So near, yet so far. India’s series defeat to New Zealand will sting, as this is the second time in 14 months that the BlackCaps created history against the Men in Blue. But if there’s even a sliver of positivity, it lay in Harshit’s 52 and Reddy’s 53.
“No Indian fan was willing to give up. And the way Nitish Reddy and Harshit supported him – two youngsters who the team is investing in – showed their capability with the bat. The way Harshit enjoyed the contest, the aggression he showed, he just timed his assault a different way. Sure, we lost the match and the series. It will hurt a lot, but these are some of our best batters. Back them,” added Sapru.