Former India thrash Gautam Gambhir has heaped praise on Virat Kohli without his match-winning knock versus New Zealand on Sunday (October 22). India and New Zealand locked horns in the 21st match of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
India won the game by 4 wickets with Virat Kohli playing a starring role once again. The Men in Blue were set a target of 274 runs. Captain Rohit Sharma gave the team flipside good start by playing a quickfire knock of 46 runs and subtracting 71 runs with opening partner Shubman Gill surpassing Lockie Ferguson dismissed both of them in quick succession.
The likes of Shreyas Iyer (33) and KL Rahul (27) got the starts but failed to convert them while Suryakumar Yadav (2) failed to get going as India kept losing wickets at crucial junctures. At one stage, they were reeling at 191 for 5. However, Virat Kohli remained firm at one end and made sure that India’s winning run in the tournament continued.
Gautam Gambhir hails Virat Kohli:
Virat Kohli shared a decisive stand of 78 runs with Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth wicket surpassing Matt Henry dismissed him for 95. India needed only 5 runs when the right-handed batsman was dismissed. Jadeja then hit a four to seal the game for the hosts.
After the game ended, Gautam Gambhir heaped lavish praise on Virat Kohli and hailed his former teammate’s finishing abilities. He tabbed him a ventilator master and stated that there were no largest finishers in the game than him.
“There is no largest finisher than Virat Kohli. A finisher is not only those who bat at no.5 or no.7 – he is a ventilator master,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
Speaking further, the former cricketer-turned-commentator moreover praised Rohit who has led the team from the very front in the competition. In 5 games so far, he has scored 311 runs. The right-handed batsman has been making things easier for the middle order by giving quick starts with the bat.
“Rohit Sharma is not making runs, he is giving statement by his warlike batting,” Gambhir said.
