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Page 4 - Cricket News

You never contain players like Kohli, they control the game: Kyle Jamieson

Having been a rival as well as a teammate to Virat Kohli, New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson says he can only marvel at the Indian superstar's craft as he operates at a "different level", one where great batters have their way even if bowlers try to contain them. Kohli looked set for a record-extending 54th ODI century on Sunday in the opening ODI against the Kiwis that India won by four wickets. However, Kohli fell seven runs short of his milestone when the imposing Kiwi bowler had him caught at mid-off for 93. Jamieson, who has shared the dressing room with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, said it's tough to determine if the Indian batter has been at his best right now. "It's hard to say from an opposition point of view whether this is the best version of him or not -- he's been pretty good for a long time, right?," Jamieson told the media after Sunday's loss. "You feel every time you come up against him, you've got to be at your absolute best to even compete.

Updated On : 12 Jan 2026 | 3:28 PM IST

Indian team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder: Harshit Rana

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has an affinity for all-rounders and fast bowler Harshit Rana has confirmed that the team management has asked him to work on improving his batting skills. Rana played a vital role in India's four-wicket victory in the opening ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday, taking a couple of wickets at the top to derail the Kiwis' progress and chipped in with a vital 29 off 23 late in the chase. Rana batted ahead of an injured Washington Sundar, who suffered from a side strain, putting his availability in doubt for the second ODI on Wednesday. "The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder and it is my task to keep working on it," Rana told reporters here. "I am working on it in the nets as well, and it was a matter of confidence which KL (Rahul) bhai helped me with when I went in (to bat). I kept my focus on it and made the runs," he added. With premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya not available for the ODI series, India's playing eleven featured b

Updated On : 12 Jan 2026 | 3:24 PM IST

Playing my shots with belief now, not merely managing situations: Kohli

India batting stalwart Virat Kohli on Sunday said he's backing a counterattacking approach early in his innings rather than waiting for the game to drift after his fluent 91-ball 93 laid the foundation for India's four-wicket win against New Zealand in the first ODI here. Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his masterly knock which set up India's successful chase of a stiff 301-run target. "Honestly, if we were batting first today, I would have probably gone harder. Because there was a total on the board, I had to buckle down and play the situation. But I was feeling like I wanted to hit more boundaries," he said after the match. Kohli said his mindset at No. 3 has evolved, with a greater emphasis on putting the opposition under pressure immediately after a wicket. "The basic idea is I batted at number three, so if the situation is a bit tricky, I backed myself to counter-attack now rather than just trying to play the situation in," he said. "Because some ball has your