“It was extremely necessary for Virat Kohli to spend time in the middle” – Parthiv Patel on one of India’s positives from IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test

Parthiv Patel reckons Virat Kohli scoring a half-century was one of the positives for India from the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. He pointed out that the modern batting great needed to spend time in the middle to regain his rhythm.

Kohli scored 70 runs off 102 deliveries in India’s second-innings total of 462. However, the Kiwis won the game by eight wickets on Sunday, October 20, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Patel was asked whether Kohli scoring a half-century and reaching the 9000-run mark in Bengaluru will hold India in good stead for the remaining two Tests.

“It was extremely necessary for Virat Kohli to spend time in the middle. You said it correctly, he had not played Test cricket for a long time. He didn’t play in the England series and didn’t get that much opportunity against Bangladesh,” he responded.

The former India wicketkeeper-batter added that even the greatest players need matches under their belt to get their rhythm.

“There is no doubt that he is a very big player. However, no matter how big a player you might be, you need to play matches to get your rhythm. So while he was looking slightly scratchy in the Bangladesh series, he was looking confident here,” Patel observed.

Kohli was unavailable for India’s home series against England earlier this year due to personal reasons. The former India captain managed only 23 runs across his two innings in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. He scored 47 and an unbeaten 29 in his two hits in the second Test against the Bangla Tigers in Kanpur.

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“He still took his time for the first 15 or 20 balls” – Parthiv Patel on Virat Kohli

In the same discussion, Parthiv Patel noted that Virat Kohli had a slightly cautious approach at the start of his innings, especially against Ajaz Patel.

“However, he still took his time for the first 15 or 20 balls. It seemed like he was taking his time when he was playing Ajaz Patel. However, once he got set, and he is such a big player that once he hits one or two shots, like the cover drive he played, the confidence comes,” he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the second-innings half-century was the one knock the 35-year-old needed to be back to his best.

“Such big players need only one innings. I think the one innings Virat Kohli needed, he got it here,” Patel opined.

Kohli struck eight fours and a six during his 70-run knock. He added 136 runs for the third wicket with Sarfaraz Khan (150 off 195) before he fell prey to Glenn Phillips on the last ball of the third day’s play.