NEW DELHI: Former India batter Mohammad Kaif did not mince his words while praising Virat Kohli for his performance in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against New Zealand. He also sent a strong message to the BCCI, saying that a player of Kohli's calibre doesn't need to play domestic matches to get match-ready.
Kohli waged a lone battle in the third ODI during a mammoth chase of 338 runs, smashing a whirlwind 124 off 108 balls, but India fell short of the target. He finished the series with a total of 240 runs.
"Virat has become that player who is seen once in a while now. But he comes, scores runs, and then goes back to London. It has become like that. He comes, scores, and goes. It is not easy to score so consistently when you are not playing regularly. But it is his passion, his fitness, his pride in playing for the country, his knowledge of the game, and his own preparation. He has proved it," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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Kaif emphasised that Kohli's passion and hunger for the game are unmatched, saying that no amount of domestic cricket is needed to get him match-ready.
"There is no need for him to play domestic cricket now. Anyone can get match practice, but the passion he has is not available in any market. Where will you get that from? Even in the last game, he was the hope. Virat will single-handedly win against 10 players standing in front of him too," he added.
Kohli has been in sensational form since the third ODI against Australia in Sydney in 2025, amassing 616 runs in his last seven innings.
He boasts an astonishing average of 123.2 and a strike rate of 108.64, registering three centuries and three fifties during this run of dominance.
