Virat Kohli feels the current form he is enjoying in ODI cricket is possibly the best he has played in the last “2-3 years”. The 37-year-old bludgeoned an unbeaten 65 in 45 balls to power India to a nine-wicket win over South Africa in the third ODI in Visakhapatnam, making light work of a target of 271 and thus sealing a 2-1 series win. The innings came after Kohli scored centuries in both of the previous matches of the series – a masterful 135 in Ranchi and 102 in Raipur, thus taking his career tally in the format to a scarcely believable 53 tons.
“Honestly, just playing the way I have in this series has been the most satisfying thing for me. I don’t think I have played at this level for a good 2-3 years now and I feel really free in my mind,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation ceremony, in which he won the player of the series. Kohli’s tally for the series stood at 302 runs in three innings at an average of 151.
“Just the whole game is coming togeVither nicely. Very exciting to build on. And something that I have always tried to do as a player, kind of maintain my own standards that I have set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team. And I know when I can bat like that out there in the middle, then it of course helps the team in a big way because I can bat long, I can bat according to the situation. And just being confident just makes me feel like, okay, any situation out there in the middle, I have what it takes to handle that situation and bring it in favour of the team.”
‘Just happy that Rohit and I continue to do well for the team’
This was India’s last ODI series in 2025 and Kohli finishes the calendar year with 651 runs in 13 ODIs at an average of 65.10 with three centuries and four half-centuries. Scrutiny over his and fellow veteran Rohit Sharma’s places in the ODI team increased about halfway through the year when the two players retired from Test. They had retired from T20Is last year, thus making ODIs the only format that they are active in. However, both players have ended up putting stellar performances in the games they have played since their Test retirements in Australia and against South Africa at home.
Kohli said that the fact that the series was on the line on Saturday only provided more motivation to him and Rohit, who scored 75 in 73 balls. “It’s always brought the best out of us over the years. That’s what we play our cricket for. You don’t want it to be 1-1. But when it is 1-1 and it’s a decider, you get excited. I want to make a play today. I want to make a dent into the game. And I want to do something special for the team. That’s what we have always done over so many years. And that’s why we have been able to play for so long. Because we have always been aligned to what the team needs. And what we can do with our skill sets according to the situation. And, just happy that both of us (Rohit and himself) continue to do so even now and help the team,” he said.
While the two century knocks he played earlier in the series were more typical of his risk-free approach in ODIs, Kohli was particularly aggressive on Saturday, coming on after a 155-run opening stand between Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal was broken. He smashed six fours and three sixes in the innings, finishing with a strike rate of 144.44.
“When I play freely, then I know I can hit sixes. So, I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk. Just push my own boundaries and see where we go. There’s always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk,” he said.
