The five-match ODI series is set to begin on November 4 in Auckland.
New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy expressed great excitement about facing his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Virat Kohli in the upcoming ODI series, starting November 4 in Auckland.
Speaking ahead of the series, Duffy highlighted that because the two spent extensive time together during RCB's successful IPL campaign earlier in the year—frequently facing off as the first bowler and batter in net sessions—Kohli will be well-prepared for his bowling style.
The five ODIs hold high stakes for both sides as they serve as crucial fixtures leading into next year's ODI World Cup in Africa.
"I got to see him [Kohli] yesterday. He was in the gym, obviously, so running into him there was cool, but he was awesome to me," Duffy said during a media interaction at Auckland, as quoted by Cricinfo.
Despite Kohli’s status as a global cricketing megastar, Duffy heavily praised the Indian stalwart’s down-to-earth demeanor and how welcoming he was toward overseas players entering the franchise.
Duffy also commended Kohli’s exceptional work ethic, noting that because the Indian stalwart was always the first batter out to practice and he was the first bowler, the two spent considerable time facing each other in the RCB net sessions.
"Obviously, for such a religious figure, I guess you almost say, in India - he is obviously a megastar over there - for him to be so down-to-earth and sort of welcome all us overseas guys in RCB was pretty cool, so very appreciative for him for that. It will be awesome to play against him now that I've sort of shared a changing room with him as well."
"He has got a great work ethic. Obviously, I bowled a lot to him in the nets because he was always the first batter and I was always the first bowler. We actually spent a lot of time facing each other in the nets, so that is quite cool. But also from there, he has seen a lot of me now too, so he will have good preparation," he added.
Jacob Duffy further revealed that their conversations moved past casual banter into meticulous detail, where Kohli mapped out how Indian pitches behave differently from ground to ground, advising the Kiwi pacer on the specific adaptations required for varying lines and lengths.
"Certain wickets are quite different, so he talked a lot about the different lines and lengths on those kind of wickets and how he adjusts and how he thinks I could be adjusting on those ones too. So little insights like that were quite important from him," he remarked.
Having retired from T20Is and Test cricket, Virat Kohli is focusing solely on the ODI format for India, with an ultimate aim to lift the coveted Word Cup trophy next year. He has been in fine form this year, scoring 552 runs in 9 ODI innings at an average of 69 and a strike rate of 117.94 with two centuries and three fifties to his credit.