Former Indian player turned commentator Ajinkya Rahane has lauded Virat Kohli for playing a match-winning knock in the first ODI against New Zealand. He added that the hosts helped the veteran batter’s cause by allowing him to play the flick at
the start of his innings, a shot he can play as soon as he wakes up as well.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Rahane said, “His movement has reduced. He used to move a lot earlier. Now he gets set early, and the good thing about him is that his feet move extremely well. His front foot moves extremely well. If a batter’s front foot moves, he can control the game properly.”

“Any batter has a shot with which he gets set. For Virat Kohli, it’s on the leg side. It’s the flick shot. He will play that shot even after waking up from sleep. He got that shot at the start. The rhythm came into his batting because of that shot,” he added again.

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However, Ajinkya Rahane also stated that Virat Kohli has adopted a more aggressive batting approach in ODIs.

“In ODIs, he has completely changed his game. We were discussing that he might play slightly cautiously after the break, but it was completely the opposite. He tried to attack after both breaks. It shows what his mindset is now and how clear he is. Yes, he is enjoying, but his mind is absolutely clear, and he is able to play this game only because of that,” he said.

“It looks extremely beautiful. The way the body weight transfer happened was excellent. He didn’t move his feet that much. He hits it two ways. One is by taking his foot out and taking his head forward. He used to struggle at the start because the head and foot didn’t used to go that much, but the way he has improved there. He has played that shot with experience. It’s not easy for anyone to play that shot,” Rahane concluded.