In a display of sheer class, Virat Kohli steered India to a commanding four-wicket victory against New Zealand in the opening One Day International at Vadodara's Reliance Stadium on Sunday. His sublime knock of 93 runs from 91 deliveries was the cornerstone of India's successful chase of a 301-run target, earning him effusive praise from teammates and rewriting the history books.
Kohli Enters Record Books with Dual Milestones
During his innings, the batting maestro achieved two monumental feats. Kohli became the fastest player in history to amass 28,000 international runs, reaching the landmark in a mere 624 innings. This shattered the previous record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who took 644 innings. Furthermore, with this effort, Kohli surpassed Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in all international cricket, now sitting only behind Tendulkar on the all-time list.
Iyer's Glowing Tribute and Comeback Knock
Returning to the national side after recovering from a spleen injury sustained during the Australia tour last year, newly appointed vice-captain Shreyas Iyer played a crucial supporting role. He scored a fluent 49 off 47 balls, sharing a vital 77-run partnership with Kohli for the third wicket to stabilize the innings after early wickets.
In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Iyer reserved special praise for Kohli. "Whatever we talk about his innings, it would be less," Iyer stated. "We've been seeing this for so many years. He walks the talk with the way he rotates strike and takes on bowlers consistently." Expressing his joy at returning, Iyer added, "Coming back after a while feels special. I missed the dressing room and sharing moments with everyone."
New Zealand's Admiration and India's Series Lead
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson, who eventually dismissed Kohli short of a record-extending 54th ODI century and finished with impressive figures of 4 for 41, acknowledged the former captain's decisive influence. "He controlled the tempo through the middle and set the innings up for his team," Jamieson admitted. "You don't really contain the greats—they have their way." Having shared a dressing room with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Jamieson added, "He's on a different level. Every time you play against him, you've got to be at your absolute best."
India sealed the chase with late contributions from KL Rahul and Harshit Rana, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. While it was a collective team effort, the night in Vadodara unequivocally belonged to Virat Kohli, whose genius once again commanded admiration from all corners and propelled India to a strong series start.
