Virat Kohli produced a masterclass as India picked up a topsy-turvy win over New Zealand in the first ODI. who has been in the middle of a dream run, missed out on his 54th century and was dismissed for 93 in a chase of 301. Before walking back, Kohli had put India on the brink of a win.
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, who had a great outing with the ball and brought New Zealand close to the win with a four-wicket haul, was all praise for the India stalwart.
When asked if that was the best version of Kohli, the tall pacer said that Kohli has been pretty good for a long time. Jamieson praised Kohli and said that the teams need to be at their absolute best to even compete with the modern-day great.
“It’s hard to say from an opposition point of view whether this is the best version of him or not – he’s been pretty good for a long time, right?” Jamieson told the media after Sunday’s defeat.
“You feel every time you come up against him, you’ve got to be at your absolute best to even compete. He’s on a different level, he plays the game on a different level to most cricketers, (and) he looked pretty good for the most part.
“We’ll just have to try and come up with some plans to try and contain him, but (then) you don’t contain the greats, they have their way a little bit, so just enjoyed watching him play for sure,” he added.
“He (Kohli) controlled the tempo through the middle and set the innings up for his team,” Jamieson admitted.
India Take 1-0 Lead
Kohli fell at a team score of 234, and the win looked inevitable before New Zealand stormed into the match and picked three wickets in seven balls to trigger panic in the Indian camp. It was because of the cameo of Harshit Rana, who made 29, and the composed KL Rahul that India managed to get over the line with two wickets to spare.