Former cricketer R Ashwin reacted to Virat Kohli’s current purple streak. The star batsman continued his rich streak of form by playing a fluid knock in the first match of the ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11.
The Indian spinning legend commented that it was a pleasure to see him koli bat in such a wonderful way. He also opined that the 37-year-old looked like he was enjoying the game.
Ashwin wrote on X during the first ODI:
“Virat’s batting is a pleasure to watch right now. The freedom, ease and happiness with which he plays shows how much he enjoys the game.#INDvNZ“.
Meanwhile, New Zealand finished with 300/8 in 50 overs after being invited to bat first. Daryl Mitchell He was the top scorer, with 84 runs in 71 balls. Henry Nicholls (62 off 69 balls) and Devon Conway (56 off 67) also racked up crucial half-centuries.
Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each. Virat Kohli came out to bat in the ninth over of the run chase. He completed his half-century with a single in the 22nd over.
At the time of writing, he was hitting 55 off 51 balls, and India were 140/1 after 24 overs.
A look at Virat Kohli’s recent form
Virat Kohli’s form came under the scanner after back-to-back ducks in the away ODI series against Australia last year in October. However, since then there has been no turning back for him.
He finished the series on a high note, remaining unbeaten on 74 off 81 balls. The seasoned campaigner enjoyed an imperious run in the subsequent three-match ODI series at home against South Africa.
He finished with two centuries and an unbeaten half-century on the rubber, accumulating 302 runs in three innings. The former India captain’s impressive form also continued in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Kohli returned to the national 50-over tournament after almost 15 years. He featured in Delhi’s first two matches of the season, recording scores of 131 (101 balls) and 77 (61 balls) against Andhra and Gujarat respectively.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai.
