New Delhi, Dec 1 Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has lauded Virat Kohli’s disciplined and calculated approach after the talismanic batter struck a match-winning century against South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi.
Kohli was at his brilliant best as he blasted 135 from just 120 deliveries, his 52nd ODI century, on Sunday and in the process help India to a 17-run triumph and a 1-0 series lead in the three-game ODI series against the Proteas.
Reflecting on Kohli’s technique and temperament, Gavaskar said the India talisman succeeds because he understands his own game better than anyone else.
"He is the type of batter who can't go bang-bang straight away. Some batters can, but Kohli knows his game inside out, and he knows that's not his strength. His strength is striking the ball through the covers, playing the straight drive and the flick. Yes, he'll occasionally play the bottom-hand flick for six Over square-leg or mid-wicket, but otherwise he plays in the V. That's the safest way to bat, especially when the pitch may keep low or the ball may move around," Gavaskar said on JioStar.
He also highlighted Kohli’s exceptional running between the wickets, which he believes remains a defining feature of the former captain’s batting.
“The running between the wickets is crucial, singles are the lifeblood of batting in any format. You keep taking singles and your innings keeps flowing. Even if the crowd wants quicker scoring, he bats as the team needs," Gavaskar noted.
Kohli also shared a 136-run stand with former skipper Rohit Sharma (57). This was the 20th stand of 100 runs or more between the two.
Gavaskar also lauded Rohit's 57-run innings, during which he shattered the former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi's world record for most sixes in ODIs by hitting three maximums.
""He batted beautifully. He gave one opportunity to Tony de Zorzi, could have been a different situation, but he capitalised well after that. He loves those cover drives and flicks, comes down the wicket when he wants to, and puts bowlers under pressure.
One particular shot summed up his innings for me: third man was up, point was up, and he just guided the ball delicately past short third man for four. It caught everyone off guard. He was reading the game superbly. He's a fantastic batter. I love watching him, even though I never got him out," he said.
Notably, Kohli, playing his 306th ODI, and Rohit, playing in his 277th one-day international, combined for their 392nd international match together across formats, surpassing the legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who appeared in a whopping 391 games between 1996 and 2012.
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