IND vs NZ 2026: ‘He will feel hurt of not crossing the line’ - World Cup winner reflects on Virat Kohli’s mindset after loss

Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan believes Virat Kohli will be disappointed that his century did not lead to a team victory in the third ODI against New Zealand in India on January 18. With the three-match series level at 1-1, India were set a challenging target of 338 runs in 50 overs.

During the chase, India found themselves in trouble at 71/4 in the 13th over, even as Kohli was in sublime form. The star batter kept the scoreboard moving despite regular wickets falling at the other end and reached

his 54th ODI century in spectacular fashion. However, Kohli was eventually dismissed for 124 off 108 balls, and India fell short, losing the match by 41 runs.

"There was always hope till one recognized batter was there, Virat in this case. We all know what he can do once he's in that zone. Chasing has been his strength right throughout his career. He looked like he believed and he just needed support, which Nitish Reddy provided at that stage. But Virat almost did it for the team, and he will surely be feeling the hurt of not crossing the line,” said Zaheer on Cricbuzz.

Ajinkya Rahane echoed Zaheer’s view, saying Kohli must be feeling gutted after the defeat. The loss marked India’s first-ever bilateral home ODI series defeat to New Zealand and their second ODI series loss in the last three bilateral contests.

"He'll be really disappointed. The way he batted after India was four down, with Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana, he batted beautifully. He must be devastated. 60-odd runs in six overs, it was India's game. But once Virat got out, that's where New Zealand got the game," said Rahane.

Harshit Rana gave confidence to Virat Kohli: Zaheer

The left-arm pacer also praised Harshit Rana for his brilliant half-century at No. 8 and his crucial partnership with Kohli, which reignited India’s hopes during the run chase. India appeared to be in deep trouble at 178/6 in the 33rd over when Rana walked out to bat. He played a composed and aggressive innings, scoring 52 off 43 balls to revive the Indian innings and provide much-needed momentum.

"Ravindra Jadeja was going to be the one taking charge, but failed to do that. But Harshit Rana made it up in terms of what a lower-order contributor could have done in that situation. In fact, he did threefold more than what was expected. He really kept India going in the game and also gave Virat confidence," said Zaheer.

"But once Harshit was out, it was always going to be too much left for Virat to do. He had to keep the strike and calculate all these variables, which was always going to be challenging. The ball was definitely in the slot to be hit, but one of those days he failed to do that,” he added.