Millions of cricket fans were left disappointed on Sunday as Virat Kohli narrowly missed out on his 54th One-Day International century, falling just seven runs short with a well-crafted 93 at the Kotambi Stadium.
Kohli walked in after the early dismissal of Rohit Sharma and immediately looked in sublime touch. Calm, fluent, and authoritative, he controlled the innings with ease before his knock ended to an over-ambitious stroke while closing in on the milestone.
Despite missing out on the hundred, Kohli reached a remarkable personal achievement during his innings. He surpassed 28,000 international runs, becoming only the third cricketer in history to achieve the feat, alongside legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Earlier, India skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to field. New Zealand’s openers, Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway, laid a strong foundation with half-centuries. Daryl Mitchell’s late acceleration helped the visitors post a competitive total of 300 runs on a pitch that offered assistance to the bowlers.
India’s pace attack rose to the challenge, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana picking up two wickets apiece to restrict New Zealand on a sluggish surface. The match also marked a historic occasion, as Kotambi Stadium became the 51st venue in India to host a men’s ODI.
In response, Shreyas Iyer played a steady knock of 48 runs, while KL Rahul remained at the crease, keeping India firmly in contention as the chase progressed in the opening ODI.
