Virat Kohli fell just seven runs short of his 54th ODI century, but his composed knock of 93 ensured India crossed the line and secured a four-wicket win
in the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara. Kohli, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, later spoke about missing out on the hundred, stating that milestones were never on his mind and that his only focus was taking India over the finish line.
The former India captain also addressed an interesting aspect of crowd behaviour during his innings. Often, when Kohli is next in to bat, the crowd is seen cheering the dismissal of the outgoing batter, eager to see him walk out to the middle. On this occasion, however, it appeared that Kohli waited for Rohit Sharma to return to the pavilion before making his way to the crease, avoiding such a moment.
When asked about it, Kohli admitted that he does not feel comfortable with such reactions from the crowd. He expressed that he never enjoys seeing teammates dismissed and does not appreciate celebrations linked to another player’s wicket, reiterating the importance of respect and team spirit over individual excitement.
“I honestly don’t feel good about it, I’ve seen it with MS too. I understand the crowd gets excited. I just try to keep the focus on the game,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
Speaking further about his innings and narrowly missing out on a century, Kohli reiterated that individual milestones have never been his priority and that contributing to the team’s victory matters most to him. Earlier in the match, the star batter also etched his name deeper into the record books by becoming the fastest player to reach 28,000 international runs across formats. In the process, he surpassed Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket history, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar, during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara.
“If I am being brutally honest then I am not thinking about the milestones, I would have gone hard if we were batting first, the experience does matter. The only thing was to get the team into a good position in the chase. The basic idea is I bat at number 3, I back myself to counterattack, I just walked in and felt I could put the opposition on the back foot,” said Kohli.
