''Virat Consistent Kohli' this name suits him perfectly in One-Day Internationals.'
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan hailed Virat Kohli's consistency in One-Day Internationals, pointing out how the batting great changes his approach to suit the match situation in a 50-overs match.
Kohli top-scored with a splendid innings of 93 from 91 balls, anchoring India's run chase of 301 with eight fours and one six during the series opener against New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday.
He registered his fifth consecutive 50-plus score in ODIs, amassing 469 runs at an incredible average of 156.33, with two centuries and three fifties in his last five knocks. He has gone past the 50-run mark in his last seven innings, including two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi.
"The way Virat Kohli is batting... 'Virat Consistent Kohli' this name suits him perfectly in One-Day Internationals. In the last seven innings, he has scored three centuries and four half-centuries. In this match too. he narrowly missed out on a century.
"He has now scored over 28000 runs in international cricket, second only to the great Sachin Tendulkar. The way he approaches his innings is praiseworthy," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan, who picked 301 wickets in 173 international across the three formats for India, stated that Kohli keeps getting better with age.
"It was good to see a 37-year-old regularly step out of his crease. When a batter steps out regularly, many things can go wrong. Kohli is showing aggressive intent, his head position is very strong, that shows that not only is his technique strong, but also the core of the body, the calves and glutes. Only then can a batter step out and hit those big shots."
"He hit six boundaries in his first 20 balls and then changed his approach after that. He started off aggressively and then after he got set, he got only one boundary in the next 50 deliveries. So the way he changes his approach, the way he keeps getting better, it is fantastic to see."
Pathan called upon the BCCI to hold more five-match ODI series or triangular series to allow fans to witness more of Kohli's brilliance, as he now focuses exclusively on the 50-over format.
"I feel there should be either a five-match one-day series or a triangular series so we can see Kohli score more international runs."
Kohli also achieved another landmark, surpassing the great Kumar Sangakkara's tally of 28,016 runs to become the second-highest run-getter across all formats in international cricket, only behind Sachin Tendulkar. In 557 matches across the three formats, Kohli has amassed 28068 runs at an average of 52.66, with 84 centuries and 146 fifties.
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