Kohli and Rohit are widely regarded as two of the finest white-ball batters produced by India.
Ahead of the second India versus New Zealand ODI in Rajkot, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif explained why Virat Kohli has always stayed ahead of Rohit Sharma as ODI batter.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said Kohli has an edge over Rohit because of his mindset and knack for converting good starts into match-winning knocks.
Kaif’s remarks came after Kohli delivered another match-winning performance in the series opener against New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday (January 11).
“Virat Kohli converts starts. A score of 30 or 40 means he will stay till the end, win the match and if he gets into form, become consistent. That is why, in ODI cricket, Virat Kohli has always been ahead of Rohit Sharma," Kaif stated.
“Kohli consistently scores runs and plays big innings. You can see it when Virat Kohli got out in the first ODI; he was shaking his head, thinking he played a wrong shot," he added.
India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in first ODI at BCA Stadium to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 301 to win, the Men in Blue lost Rohit for 26 runs but Kohli added 118 runs for the second wicket with skipper Shubman Gill to put the hosts in driver’s seat.
While Gill fell after scoring 56 off 71 balls, Kohli appeared on course for a record-extending 54th ODI century before Kyle Jamieson dismissed him on 93 off 91 balls. His wicket also broke the 77-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (49 off 47).
After Kohli and Iyer’s dismissals in quick succession, KL Rahul (29* off 21) and Harshit Rana (29 off 23) chipped in with handy contributions to take India over the line with an over to spare.