“He will play that shot even after waking up from sleep” – Ajinkya Rahane lauds Virat Kohli’s knock in NZ vs IND 2026 1st ODI

Former India player Ajinkya Rahane has lauded Virat Kohli for playing a match-winning knock in the first ODI against New Zealand. He noted that the hosts helped the ace batter’s cause by allowing him to play the flick at the start of his innings, a shot he can play as soon as he wakes up.

India bowled out New Zealand for 185 in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4. Kohli smashed 74 runs off 51 balls in the chase as the visitors registered a five-wicket win via the DLS method, achieving the revised 32-over target of 143 with 56 balls to spare.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Rahane noted that New Zealand allowed Kohli to get into rhythm by feeding him in his favorite area at the start of his innings.

“His movement has reduced. He used to move a lot earlier. Now he gets set early, and the good thing about him is that his feet move extremely well. His front foot moves extremely well. If a batter’s front foot moves, he can control the game properly,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.

“Any batter has a shot with which he gets set. For Virat Kohli, it’s on the leg side. It’s the flick shot. He will play that shot even after waking up from sleep. He got that shot at the start. The rhythm came into his batting because of that shot,” he added.

Virat Kohli walked out to bat in the second over of India’s chase after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck. He got off the mark by flicking Kyle Jamieson for a four off the third ball he faced.

“He has completely changed his game” – Ajinkya Rahane on Virat Kohli’s ODI batting

In the same discussion, Ajinkya Rahane noted that Virat Kohli has adopted a more aggressive batting approach in ODIs.

“In ODIs, he has completely changed his game. We were discussing that he might play slightly cautiously after the break, but it was completely the opposite. He tried to attack after both breaks. It shows what his mindset is now and how clear he is. Yes, he is enjoying, but his mind is absolutely clear, and he is able to play this game only because of that,” he said.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain was effusive in his praise of a sublime cover drive Kohli hit during his innings.

“It looks extremely beautiful. The way the body weight transfer happened was excellent. He didn’t move his feet that much. He hits it two ways. One is by taking his foot out and taking his head forward. He used to struggle at the start because the head and foot didn’t used to go that much, but the way he has improved there. He has played that shot with experience. It’s not easy for anyone to play that shot,” Rahane observed.

Virat Kohli struck 13 fours and a six during his 74-run knock. He added 113 runs for the second wicket with Shubman Gill (37 off 56) to virtually seal India’s win.

Edited by Kartik Iyer