Why Virat Kohli bowed down to this bowler during IND vs NZ 1st ODI in Mumbai

Virat Kohli lauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s late cameo in the innings as the latter scored a quickfire 15-ball 26 in the first ODI between India vs New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday

One doesn’t often find India skipper Virat Kohli bowing down to someone during a game. Given the charisma he possesses and the flamboyant attitude that shrouds him, he’s usually the one rest of the world bows down to. And thus, it was a rare sight on Sunday when the 28-year-old could be seen carrying out the gesture during India’s innings. (IND v NZ, 1st ODI SCORECARD)

Virat Kohli plays a shot during the first one-day international cricket match between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on October 22, 2017. (AFP)

India were off to a jittery start on Sunday, losing both the openers within the first six overs. And with the middle-order trio of Kedar Jadhav (12), Dinesh Karthik (37) and MS Dhoni (25) failing to build on their starts, Kohli took on the charge on his shoulders and slammed a cracking 121 off 125 deliveries.

Losing wickets at regular intervals also hurt India’s run-rate and by the time Hardik Pandya (16) walked back, India were reeling at 238 for the loss of six wickets after 45.3 overs. (HIGHLIGHTS)

However, while the Kiwis were hoping to tighten the screws and hold India around the 250-mark, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hit a ODI half-century a couple of weeks back, took charge and made a quickfire 15-ball 26, including two sixes and fours. And one of them, a six over long-on off Adam Milne earned him the bow-down gesture from his captain who was vividly impressed by the manner in which the short ball was pulled with a straight bat down the ground.

But the temporary carnage hardly helped India’s cause as the modest 281-run target was easily scaled down by New Zealand who rode on the brilliant knocks from Tom Latham (103*) and Ross Taylor (95) to steer their side to victory and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.