Despite India’s series loss to New Zealand, Virat Kohli scored a brilliant century in the final ODI. Sunil Gavaskar praised his remarkable consistency and urged young players to learn from the star batter’s approach for long-term success.
Former Team India and star batter Virat Kohli continued his fine run of form in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The veteran Indian batter played a valiant knock of 124 off 108 balls in the third and final ODI of the series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18.
However, Kohli’s century knock was not enough to prevent the Men in Blue from losing the match as well as the series to the Kiwis, as hosts fell 42 runs short of the 338-run target after being bundled out for 296 in 46 overs. Team India registered their first-ever ODI series defeat to New Zealand at home in 37 years. Kohli’s 124-run knock and a crucial 101-run stand for the seventh wicket with Harshit Rana (52) gave the Men in Blue a glimmer of hope to chase down the target before a late lower-order collapse.
Though Team India lost the ODI series to New Zealand, there were a few positives from the series, chief among them being Virat Kohli’s consistency. The veteran batter was the standout performer with the willow for India, amassing 240 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 105.26 in three matches.
Secret Behind Kohli’s Consistency
Virat Kohli has been in sublime form ever since he made his international comeback in October 2025, following his retirement from Test cricket. The star batter performed exceptionally well in the South Africa ODI series, where he was the highest run-getter with 302 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 151 in three matches.
He carried on his rhythm and form into the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored a century and a fifty against Andhra and Gujarat before returning to the India squad for the New Zealand ODI series. Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar stated that the secret behind his consistency lies in an adaptive mindset, focusing on the job at hand rather than being tied to any image and expectations.
“The thing about him is that he’s not tied down to an image. A lot of batters, a lot of bowlers are tied down to an image. That this is the way, you know, they are perceived, and so they should stick to that. I don’t think it is tied down to an image. He’s tied down to the job at hand,” Gavaskar said on JioStar after India’s ODI series defeat.
“The job at hand is to score runs, maybe watchfully to start with, and then open out, or score bang-bang at the start and then spread the field, and then look for the ones and twos. He’s not tied down by any image, and that is the reason he is consistent,” he added.
Scroll to load tweet…
Since his return to international cricket in October 2025, Virat Kohli has amassed 616 runs, including three centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 88 in nine matches. His performance in the ODI series against New Zealand further reaffirmed his commitment to play the 2027 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Gavaskar Wants Youngsters to Learn from Kohli
Sunil Gavaskar further highlighted that Virat Kohli’s consistency stems from focusing on the situation of the match rather than living up to the expectations of the fans, adding that young players should learn to focus on ‘job at hand’ over pressure, labels, or public perception to achieve sustained success.
“Apart from his talent, of course, and temperament. And when I said not tied down by image, I talked about the temperament. Temperament, not to say, “Oh, I’m expected to hit the six.” It’s not that. He will watch it and do it, and he never gives up. He refuses to give up,” a former India batting legend said.
“So even till the end, he was trying that a little tired shot. Sometimes you know the gloves can get a bit sweaty, and so the grip on the handle would have gone a little bit awry. And that’s why, instead of going straight, the bad face turned up, and he was caught inside the boundary. For me, this is the important thing to learn for any youngster, not to live up to an image, play the situation, and you will be more consistent than ever hoped for,” he added.
After the ODI series between India and New Zealand, Virat Kohli will be on break before joining the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kohli will next play for Team India in the three-match away ODI series against England, which will begin in July.