IND vs NZ: "Virat Kohli Is Back, Looks Absolutely Sensational, Back To His Very Best; He Actually Owns This Format" - Aakash Chopra

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century as India beat Sri Lanka by a record 317 runs in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, January 15. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra praised Virat Kohli’s batting and said that he exploited the ordinary Sri Lankan bowling attack.

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 166 runs off just 110 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes to help the hosts reach a mammoth total of 390 runs. The right-handed batsman scored his 46th ODI century and is now only three behind Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 tons. He scored three centuries in the last four innings of the 50-over format. Bowlers bowled out the Sri Lankan batters for 73 runs.

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Virat Kohli Back To His Very Best – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised Virat Kohli and said that the run machine is back in form. The former India opener believes the batsman is back to his best and has silenced his critics.

“Virat Kohli comes to bat at No. 3. A hundred in the first match in Guwahati and a hundred in Thiruvanthapuram. Virat Kohli is the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series. Virat the run-machine Kohli is back. Saamne wali bowling thi sadharan, to Kohli ne kiya Virat roop dhaaran,” Aakash Chopra said.

“I was reading a Pakistani handle that said that he scores only in dead rubbers, so did someone else score a century in the first match? It said it was an extremely flat pitch – the opposition team scored 70 in all. Virat Kohli is back, looks absolutely sensational, back to his very best. He actually owns this format,” he added.

Shubman Gill Has Got A Lot Of Grace And Time – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra praised Shubman Gill’s batting, saying he got a lot of grace and time. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that Ishan Kishan is likely to play in the middle order in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

“Shubman Gill has struck another century, his second in ODI cricket. Whenever you see him play, it seems he is the future of Indian cricket. The way Shubman plays, the class and the flow with which he plays, he has got a lot of grace and time,” Chopra said.

“That is why Ishan Kishan is going to remain out for now. You can’t really help it, although it might have come to their (team management’s) mind that they could have played Ishan in this match because in the next series, which is about to start, KL Rahul will not be there and Ishan Kishan will play, but as a middle-order batter,” he added.

India will host a white-ball series against New Zealand, comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will lead the team in the 50-over format, while Hardik Pandya will lead in the shorter format.

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah