After Virat Kohli’s brilliant century led India to a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi, Team India players praised him profusely. Kohli scored 135 runs in 120 balls, his 52nd ODI century, laying the foundation for a strong start to the series for India. His teammates openly expressed how special it was to see another brilliant innings from the former captain. Young Tilak Verma said that it was special to watch Kohli’s century from close.
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In a video posted on the official website of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Tilak said that once again we have seen one of the finest innings. I am very happy that I saw Virat Bhai’s century live. He further said that for the last 17 years, he has always been performing brilliantly on the field, be it batting, fielding, everything. He is an excellent player. I have learned a lot from him and it is a pleasure for me to see him live. I will keep talking to them and learn as much as I can. If I get a chance in the upcoming matches, I can apply the same in those matches also.
Kuldeep Yadav, who started his career under the captaincy of Kohli, said that this innings reminded him of the era of this great batsman. Kuldeep said that my career started with Virat Bhai when he was the captain. The way he batted, I felt like I had gone back 8-9 years, the way he was batting in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2016. He said it was a very good innings, and he looked very confident. Whatever his shot selection, the ball was coming off the bat well.
He said that it feels good to be with him. You get to learn a lot. Even in bowling, you get inputs to know what you can do. It feels good to be with seniors. There is energy and enthusiasm in the team. As you’ve seen on the field, we’re very fortunate in this. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate stressed the importance of playing a big innings for India, as the pitch was expected to become easier later on. He said that it felt good to return to winning ways. It was very pleasing because the players recognized that we needed a good score on that wicket.
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He said that we knew there was going to be dew, and the way the batsmen played it and obviously Virat scored 100 runs in a row. To get us out early, to finish the match and get us a score which is usually required on a wicket like this, was good. Left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh talked about maintaining a comfortable atmosphere in the dressing room despite the pressure of international cricket.