Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has showered praise on Virat Kohli’s knock after India registered a eight-wicket win in the opening ODI against the West Indies at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Kohli scored a magnum opus knock of 139 runs off just 88 balls with the help of 10 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 157.95. The talisman batted at the top of his game and was once again able to hit the ground running.
Kohli has batted with an aggressive approach in the last one year and he continued in the same template against the Windies, taking the tourists’ bowlers to the cleaners.
The veteran also became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15000 ODI runs and he got to the milestone in 74 innings quicker than the Master Blaster. This was Kohli’s 55th ODI century and his 86th International ton.
Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “Nothing ever goes wrong when he’s batting. 158 strike rate, my god. He’s playing like it’s the IPL. He is hitting effortless sixes. The way he balances between sixes and running between the wickets is amazing. And his recent interview shows how humble he is. He’s giving all the credit to god, which is amazing. It’s very important for youngsters to be more grounded like this.”
“He’s enjoying his game with real passion, determination and a sense of commitment. He is smiling more on the ground and is energetic. He looks very content with his overall life, because of which he’s not over-trying. He’s such a dedicated guy.”
On the other hand, West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph returned with expensive figures of 1-81 in nine overs he bowled. Srikkanth noted that Kohli took Joseph’s bowling apart with his blistering batting.
“It’s joy for the batters when Alzarri Joseph comes into bowl. Virat Kohli took him to school and tore him to pieces. I don’t know how he is even playing. This West Indian pace attack is woeful. They have neither pace, bounce, nor movement,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday.
