India vice-captain Shreyas Iyer was effusive with his praise for Virat Kohli, who scored a brilliant 93 (91) in the first ODI against New Zealand on Sunday. Iyer said that words are not enough to express Kohli’s skill, saying the former skipper ‘basically walks the talk’ by batting in a near-perfect tempo.
Iyer is not the first and probably not the last to be at a loss for words seeing Kohli’s form. It was the right-hander’s sixth consecutive fifty-plus score. Kohli has always been considered an ODI giant who just knows how to bat in this format, but recently, he has surprised many with his counter-attacking play from the get-go.
“Whatever we talk about his innings, it would be less. We have been seeing it for so many years now he’s been doing it consistently. The way he rotates the strike and he takes on the bowlers, he basically walks the talk,” Iyer said in a video posted by BCCI.
As India chased down 301 to win the match, Iyer also shared a 77-run stand with Kohli. The Mumbaikar missed his half-century by one run but looked good in his first match after a two-month absence due to injury.
“Great start to the series. Coming back after a while into the team, it feels great to be a part of this squad. More than that, it was a great feeling to share the dressing room with each and every one. I was missing it for quite a while, but I am happy to be back,” Iyer said.
