Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan says Virat Kohli will be frustrated that his century did not contribute to a team victory in the third One-Day International against New Zealand in India on January 18. With the three-match series tied at 1-1, India was given a difficult target of 338 runs in 50 overs.
During the chase, India found themselves at 71/4 in the 13th over, despite Kohli’s superb form. Despite regular wickets at the other end, the star batsman kept the scoreboard going and scored his 54th ODI century in spectacular fashion. However, Kohli was eventually removed for 124 off 108 balls, and India fell short, losing 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.
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.
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.
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