Virat Kohli plays beautiful shot in the nets ahead of IND vs NZ 2026 1st ODI

During a net session, star batter Virat Kohli from India showed an impressive shot when the Blue Men were getting ready for the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand. The first game of the series is going to be held on Sunday, January 11, at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, and the audience is very much looking forward to it.

On the training day of January 9, Kohli was in superb form as he expertly timed a ball pitched right up and sent it over mid-off with a very nice sound coming from the bat, giving a clear hint of his excellent rhythm before the big match.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has an excellent record against New Zealand in ODIs. The right-handed batsman from Delhi has faced the Kiwis in 50-over cricket 33 times, scoring a whopping 1,657 runs with an impressive average of 55.23, consisting of nine fifties and six hundreds.

Moreover, the Indian No. 3 was in excellent form in the Men in Blue’s latest ODI series versus South Africa. India won the series 2-1, and Kohli scored 302 runs in three innings at an average of 151.00, including two centuries and one fifty.

In an interview with the media on Friday January 9th, New Zealand batsman Will Young talked about Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who both experienced a slight loss of form in Tests after taking a break from the longest format during the previous 12 months. The duo now only play One-Day Internationals.

Young said:

“The two players you’re alluding to, Kohli and Sharma, are incredible players, and they’ve been at the top of their game in world cricket for a long, long time. Players that I look up to, and a lot of the other players in this Black Caps group have always looked up to as well. So, one thing about cricket is that you can’t always be 100% consistent. You have to go through the highs and the lows, and over a long period of time, what comes out is class. Those guys are certainly that. So, it’s no surprise to me that they’ve come back and are winning games for their country again.”