Virat Kohli came just seven runs short of his 54th ODI century, but his controlled performance of 93 helped India cross the line and win the first ODI against New Zealand by four wickets in Vadodara. Kohli, who was named Player of the Match, later remarked about losing out on the century, saying that milestones were never on his mind and that his sole goal was to get India across the finish line.
Talking during his innings, the former India captain shared an interesting observation about audience behavior. Quite often, when Kohli walks out to bat, the crowd erupts in cheers for his arrival — even if that means celebrating the dismissal of the batter before him. This time, however, it seemed as though Kohli waited for Rohit Sharma to reach the pavilion before making his way to the crease, avoiding such a moment.
Speaking about it, Kohli said he feels uneasy with that kind of crowd reaction. He explained that he never enjoys seeing a teammate dismissed and doesn’t appreciate celebrations based on another player’s wicket, stressing 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.
Elaborating on his knock and the missed century, Virat Kohli added that personal milestones are not the highest on his mind and that he’s always focused on contributing to the team’s win. The star batsman had earlier in the match become the quickest ever player to reach 28,000 international runs across all formats. Against New Zealand at Vadodara in the first ODI, he overtook Kumar Sangakkara as the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket, behind only Sachin Tendulkar.
“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.”
Virat Kohli
