19 January,2026 09:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)
In the third ODI match against New Zealand, Team India suffered a loss by 41 runs at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
Despite the defeat, stalwart Virat Kohli continued his rich vein of form. Facing 108 deliveries, he smashed 124 runs, with the help of 10 boundaries and three maximums.
Following his blistering knock, legendary Team India batsman Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Kohli by saying that he plays according to the match situation. The former cricketer also feels that the potential reason behind Kohli's consistency is playing according to situations and not sticking to an image.
"The thing about him is that he's not tied down to an image. A lot of batters and bowlers are constrained by how they're perceived, and they feel they must live up to that image. Virat isn't like that. He's tied to the job at hand, and that job is to score runs. Sometimes, that means starting watchfully and then opening up. Sometimes, it means attacking early and then spreading the field and picking up ones and twos. He's not governed by expectations of how he should play. That temperament is the key. He doesn't think, 'I'm expected to hit a six.' He plays according to the situation. He never gives up. Even till the end, he was trying. Perhaps the gloves got a bit sweaty, and the grip went slightly, which is why the bat face turned, and he was caught near the boundary ropes. For youngsters, that's the biggest lesson, don't live up to an image. Play the situation, and you'll be far more consistent than you ever imagined," he said on JioStar.
Along with Kohli, India's pacer Harshit Rana also delivered a crucial knock. He faced 43 balls and smashed 52 runs, including four boundaries and the same number of maximums.
Speaking about his knock, Gavaskar said that the pacer batted exactly the way a lower-order batsman should have, without any worries.
"It was a very good innings by Harshit Rana. He batted exactly like a lower-order batter should, without worry and without expectations. He knew his job was to swing the bat. If he connected, great, if not, no worries. There were short balls he tried to slice but didn't quite get hold of, and that didn't frustrate him. He understood that if you pitch it up, he can hammer it, and if you bowl it halfway down where the ball is coming nicely, he can hit you for a six. That's exactly what he did," he said.
The former cricketer also feels that whenever a player gets the opportunity to bat with Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar, he wants to savour that moment.
"What impressed me was that Harshit didn't get hassled by earlier failures, especially with someone like Virat Kohli at the other end. How many people get the opportunity to bat with a Kohli or a Tendulkar? You want to savour every moment and stay there as long as you can. At the end of the over, when such great players talk to you, maybe say 'keep going' or 'that was a good shot', those are memories you carry for life," added the 76-year-old former cricketer.
(With ANI Inputs)
