Virat Kohli extends ODI dominance

The number three batter crafted 93 off 91 balls for India against New Zealand

NEW DELHI:

Virat Kohli has tweaked his approach to counter-attack early in his innings and put bowlers under pressure to flip the momentum for India, the batting stalwart said after his match-winning knock in Sunday's one-day international against New Zealand.
The number three batter crafted 93 off 91 balls as India chased down a target of 301 with one over to spare en route to a four-wicket victory in the opener in Vadodara.
After opener Rohit Sharma fell for 26 in the ninth over, Kohli refused to retreat into a defensive shell.
Instead, he took the initiative in a match-defining 118-run stand with skipper Shubman Gill (56), using controlled aggression to force New Zealand's attack onto the back foot.
"Well, the basic idea is I bat at No.3," Kohli said after winning the player of the match award.
"So if the situation is a bit tricky, I back myself to counterattack now rather than just trying to play the situation in because some ball has your name on it."
Batting great Kohli is active internationally only in the 50-overs format. His masterclass on Sunday was the 37-year-old's fifth consecutive 50-plus score in ODIs.
In his 17th year in international cricket, he continues to reinvent himself and said he now aims to make the most of the first 20 deliveries after coming in at first drop.
"There's no point waiting around for too long. But at the same time, you don't play outrageous shots. You still stick to your strengths, but you back yourself enough to put the opposition on the back foot," he said.
"I just felt like if I push hard now in the first 20 balls, then we can probably string in a partnership straight after a wicket like Rohit's where the opposition is going to go on the back foot.
"That actually ended up being the difference in the game."
Earlier, India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first one-day international in Vadodara on Sunday where the in-form Virat Kohli fell agonisingly short of his 54th ODI hundred.
The 37-year-old batting maestro, who had scored 376 in his last four ODI innings, anchored India's chase of 301 with a sublime knock of 93 featuring eight boundaries and a six, but he was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson when a landmark century was within reach.
The Vadodara crowd's disappointment was palpable as their hero departed, but they rose to applaud Kohli, who achieved another milestone by becoming the second-highest run scorer in international cricket across all formats.
With his 77th ODI fifty, Kohli moved on to 28,068 runs and surpassed Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (28,016) to sit behind only Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar's 34,357.
"If I look back at my whole journey, it's nothing short of a dream come true for me," Kohli said on moving one step closer to his mentor Tendulkar.
"I've always known my abilities, how much ability I had when I came in and I had to work for a lot more to get to the place I am today. God has blessed me with way too much for me to complain about anything.
"I always look back at my whole journey with a lot of grace, a lot of gratitude in my heart and I feel proud about it."
India take on New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series in Indore on Sunday.