Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has stated that Virat Kohli has consistently outperformed Rohit Sharma in ODI cricket because Kohli never settles for scores in the 30s or 40s and always strives to convert his starts into big knocks as well. Kaif’s comments came before the second ODI against New Zealand as well.

During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Kaif said, “Why is Virat Kohli’s name so big in ODIs? Because he does not settle for 30s or 40s. That is the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma if you look at their entire careers. Virat Kohli converts starts. A score of 30 or 40 means he will go on to stay till the end, win the match, and if he gets into form, he becomes consistent.”

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“That is why, in ODI cricket, Virat Kohli has always been ahead of Rohit Sharma. He scores runs consistently and plays big innings regularly. Rohit Sharma now wants to move onto that same path because he probably has only two or three years left. He will not be satisfied with 30s or 40s anymore. You can see it when he got out in the first ODI; he was shaking his head, clearly thinking he played a wrong shot,” he further added.

However, Mohammad Kaif also added that following Rohit Sharma’s removal from captaincy, his approach has changed too, with the opener now playing like Virat Kohli.

“I have noticed that now he is pacing his innings. He starts quickly, then slows down, playing singles and doubles and adding the occasional boundary, much like Virat Kohli. He is no longer constantly chasing boundaries. Instead, he is planning to pace his innings and play long knocks. We have seen this change recently after he was removed from captaincy. His intent has shifted. He wants to play big innings and remain unbeaten. You might remember the century he scored in Australia, where he stayed not out. That seems to be Rohit’s plan for the upcoming matches,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.