Virat Kohli was India’s stand-out batter in the recently held three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which the hosts lost by a margin of 2-1.
The star batter played a match-winning knock of 93 off 91 balls in the series opener at Vadodara. While Kohli endured a rare failure in the second ODI at Rajkot and scored only 23, he slammed a record-extending 54th century (124 off 108) in the series-decider at Indore, albeit in a losing cause.
His blockbuster performance drew rich praise from former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who hailed Virat as India's best ODI batter.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan highlighted Kohli's consistency under various captains over the last decade and a half.
“Virat Kohli once again showed why he is such a great player. Back in 2013, when I was also playing, people used to say Virat Kohli is the best batter in the Indian team currently. In 2016, people also used to call him the best batter in the Indian team. Now, 10 years later in 2026, people are still calling Virat Kohli the best batter in India’s ODI side. There’s no doubt about it. He scored runs under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, under his own captaincy, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, and now under young Shubman Gill’s captaincy too," Pathan was quoted as saying on his on his YouTube channel.
Pathan also expressed admiration for Kohli’s remarkable fitness and consistency, referring to him as a “Run Machine" who continues to notch up three-figure scores.
“Another 100 for Virat ‘Run Machine’ Kohli. When we saw Virat Kohli’s fitness, the way he runs, there’s absolutely no change in his fitness. In fact, it looks like he has only gotten better. He plays, scores runs and repeats. Unfortunately, the century came in the losing cause, but it was a magnificent century, nonetheless," he added.
During the series-decider, the Kiwis racked up a formidable 337/8 on the board and bundled out India for 296 to secure a 41-run win.
The result marked New Zealand’s maiden ODI series win on Indian soil. It came little over a year after the Black Caps handed India a 3-0 Test series defeat at home.
The two teams will now square off in a five-match T20I series, starting January 21 in Nagpur. The T20I series will be the final dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
