'He walks the talk': Shreyas Iyer hails Virat Kohli after record-breaking ODI masterclass

NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer reserved glowing praise for Virat Kohli after the Indian great delivered yet another masterclass in the opening ODI against New Zealand, guiding India to a four-wicket win while rewriting the record books in Vadodara on Sunday.

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Kohli’s sublime 93 off 91 balls not only anchored India’s successful chase of 301 but also saw him cross two major milestones. The 37-year-old became the fastest batter in history to reach 28,000 international runs, achieving the feat in just 624 innings — 20 fewer than Sachin Tendulkar. In the process, Kohli also overtook Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket, behind only Tendulkar.




“Whatever we talk about his innings, it would be less,” Iyer said in a video shared by the BCCI. “We’ve been seeing it for so many years now. He’s been doing it consistently. The way he rotates the strike, he takes on the bowler — he basically walks the talk.”

Iyer, playing his comeback match after recovering from a spleen injury sustained during last year’s Australia tour, played a key supporting role with a fluent 49 off 47 balls. The newly appointed vice-captain added 77 runs with Kohli for the third wicket, steadying India after an early loss.

“It was a great start to the series,” Iyer said. “Coming back after a while feels special. I missed being in the dressing room and sharing moments with everyone. I’m just happy to be back.”


Kohli looked set for a record-extending 54th ODI century before New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson had him caught at mid-off. Despite finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 41, Jamieson admitted Kohli’s influence was decisive.

“He controlled the tempo through the middle and set the innings up for his team,” Jamieson said. “You don’t really contain the greats — they have their way.”

Having shared a dressing room with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Jamieson added: “He’s on a different level. Every time you play against him, you’ve got to be at your absolute best just to compete.”

India eventually sealed the chase through late cameos from Harshit Rana and KL Rahul, taking a 1-0 lead in the series — but the night belonged, once again, to Kohli and the admiration he continues to command from teammates and rivals alike.


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