Kohli dictates the chase, even without a hundred

Caution is often viewed as an essential instrument in an attacking player's toolbox, but the surge of adrenaline in the cauldron of international sport can be just as decisive. Virat Kohli seemed to be cruising towards yet another ODI century before that momentary rush intervened: c Michael Bracewell b Kyle Jamieson 93.

On another night, in another situation, Kohli might have cleared that back-of-a-length delivery over mid-off for four, or curbed the shot. A momentary lapse denied Kohli his 54th ODI century and the packed Kotambi Stadium in Baroda a perfect ending. It proved that even Kohli, a veteran of over 550 international matches and a master in ODI chases, can be human.

"If I am being brutally honest, the way I'm playing right now, I'm not thinking about milestones at all. If we were batting first, I probably would've gone harder. But in a chase, with a total on the board, I had to play the situation. I felt like hitting more boundaries, but experience kicks in. The only thing on my mind was getting the team into a position where we could win comfortably," Kohli said, unfazed by the missed milestone, while receiving the Player of the Match award.

What should have been an auto-piloted flight to victory for India instead turned into a phase of scramble after Kohli's abrupt dismissal. New Zealand bounced back with three quick wickets, but KL Rahul, aided by Harshit Rana, saw India through to a four-wicket win.

Kohli dictates the chase, again

Kohli displayed both art and science in his assault on the New Zealand bowlers. He was clear about when to launch the attack and when to stop—the first half of his 91-ball innings was marked by aggression, while the second half was more about rotation of strike.

It was clearly Kohli's night. Greeted by a rousing reception, he announced his arrival with a straight-driven four off Zak Foulkes. Another boundary followed a couple of deliveries later, and there was no stopping him. With such a flourishing start, Kohli overtook opening partner Shubman Gill in no time.

"The basic idea is I bat at number three; if the situation is tricky, I back myself to counterattack rather than just waiting around. Any ball can have your name on it, so there's no point being passive. At the same time, you don't play outrageous shots—you stick to your strengths. Today, when I walked in after Rohit got out, I felt if I pushed hard in the first 20 balls, we could put the opposition on the back foot. That ended up making the difference," Kohli explained.

Kohli's 91-ball knock can be seen in two halves: six boundaries in his fifty (off 44 balls) and only three more boundaries, including a six, in a more sedate second half where he scored 43 off 44. He went close to 40 deliveries without a boundary, working the ball on a slower pitch.

"The way he's striking the ball at the moment makes things look so easy, even on a surface like this where it wasn't easy to start, he made it look easy," skipper Shubman Gill said.

Since two ducks in Australia in October, Kohli has been in total command. His scores since: 74* (vs Australia), 135, 102, 65* (all vs South Africa), and now 93 against New Zealand. That's 469 runs in his last five innings at an average over 155. On Sunday, he went past 28,000 international runs (28,068)—the quickest to the mark—overtaking Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-leading run-getter in international cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar.

"If I look back at my whole journey, then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities, but I also knew I had to work extremely hard to get where I am today. God has blessed me with far more than I could ever ask for. I look back with a lot of grace and gratitude, and I feel really proud," Kohli said.

With form, fitness, and clarity of purpose firmly in place, Kohli's trajectory now stretches well towards the 2027 World Cup.