Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Virat Kohli’s exceptional fitness after the star batter notched his 84th international century in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. Even after a long innings, Kohli’s celebratory leap left Pathan impressed with his stamina.
Kohli scored his second consecutive ODI hundred and 53rd overall on December 3, reaching the milestone in just 90 balls before being dismissed for 102. In a recent YouTube video on his channel, Pathan highlighted how Kohli read the conditions perfectly, playing with caution, particularly against deliveries outside off-stump.
“Firstly, we need to talk about Virat Kohli. A player aged 37, the way his fitness is, scoring back-to-back centuries, it shows in the way he jumps to celebrate. He jumps approximately 9 meters, shows what kind of focus he has. He started with two ducks in Australia but has scored at least 50 runs in the next three innings.”
“After a knock of 74 runs in Australia, he has scored back-to-back tons. The challenge was different here. He understood that the pitch is slightly different here and had to play cautiously. Kohli started with a six but played cautiously whenever the ball was pitched outside off-stump,” he said.
Pathan commends Kohli’s efficient running and strategic batting with Gaikwad
Irfan Pathan also highlighted Virat Kohli’s excellent running between the wickets. He stated:
“What we are seeing regularly with Kohli is he is stepping out to fast bowlers and has plenty of time. When Kohli bats, it feels he has plenty of time. The way he stepped out to hit Marco Jansen’s short ball for six shows any other batter might not have that much time. Secondly, there is no weakness in running between the wickets.”
“Once Ruturaj Gaikwad played a shot, he ran swiftly for the first run and ran second after a misfield. He converted another misfield into a third run. I saw Gaikwad is running way in front of the crease but Kohli is not doing that. He keeps watching the ball; hence, he gets that advantage,” he added.
Partnering with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led with 105, the seasoned batter put together a 195-run partnership to lay the groundwork for India’s 358/5. Despite this, Aiden Markram’s 110 outshone both Indian centuries, guiding the Proteas to a series-tying win.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.