Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Virat Kohli’s longevity and consistency after the batter scored his 54th ODI century against New Zealand in Indore.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan heaped praise on star batter Virat Kohli after he scored his 54th ODI century in the final match of the three-game series against New Zealand on Sunday at Holkar Stadium in Indore. Pathan described Kohli as India’s best-ever ODI batter, highlighting his remarkable consistency over more than a decade.
Pathan pointed out that Kohli has been regarded as India’s top ODI batter from 2013 to 2026, regardless of changes in leadership. He underlined that Kohli has delivered match-winning performances under multiple captains, including MS Dhoni, himself during his brief leadership stint, Rohit Sharma, and now Shubman Gill.
“Virat Kohli once again showed why he is such a great player. Back in 2013, when I was also playing, people used to say Virat Kohli is the best batter in the Indian team currently. In 2016, people also used to call him the best batter in the Indian team. Now, 10 years later in 2026, people are still calling Virat Kohli the best batter in India’s ODI side. There’s no doubt about it. He scored runs under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, under his own captaincy, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, and now under young Shubman Gill’s captaincy too,” Pathan was quoted as saying on his on his YouTube channel.
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The former cricketer also lauded Kohli’s exceptional fitness levels and hunger for runs, calling him a “Run Machine” who continues to dominate bowlers across formats. Pathan stressed that Kohli’s physical condition has shown no signs of decline despite the years at the top level.
“Another 100 for Virat ‘Run Machine’ Kohli. When we saw Virat Kohli’s fitness, the way he runs, there’s absolutely no change in his fitness. In fact, it looks like he has only gotten better. He plays, scores runs and repeats. Unfortunately, the century came in the losing cause, but it was a magnificent century, nonetheless,” the former cricketer said.
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Kohli’s latest hundred was his 85th international century overall. He scored a fluent 124 off 108 balls while chasing New Zealand’s imposing target of 338 runs. This was Kohli’s fourth century in his last eight ODI innings, which also included a hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Despite Kohli’s valiant effort, India fell short in the chase as New Zealand won the match by 41 runs, sealing the series 2-1 in their favour.
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