Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Virat Kohli's 95 vs New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup ft. Suresh Raina and Simon Doull

Virat Kohli played one of the best knocks by an Indian in the history of ODI World Cups on Sunday to help his team defeat New Zealand by four wickets and register a fifth straight win in the ongoing edition.

The No. 3 batter took over from a brilliant opening stand by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. He infused calm, played out New Zealand's spinners in the middle overs, and let others express themselves from the other end.

Kohli slowly upped his strike rate and attacked whenever the bowlers strung together a few dot balls, eventually ending at 95 with eight boundaries and two sixes.

Although such a dominating win led by a masterful knock was slightly overshadowed by the criticism of Kohli's clear attempts to get to his hundred, most of the pundits and experts appreciated the senior pro and the knock.

Here are the five top takes on the knock:

---

#5 "Kohli makes it look so easy" - Shane Watson

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson went all gaga over the chase. He said Kohli bats like he has an "internal computer" in his head that does all the calculations for him and helps him make chasing look "easy".

"It's not like it's just like a walk in the park. It's a World Cup game against an undefeated team which is in fine form and his internal computers does his thing. It's absolutely beautiful to watch," Watson told Star Sports after the match.

"People have got to realise it's not that easy to chase runs, but Kohli makes it look so easy. He's just done it for so long that he just makes it look so easy. It's challenging because you've got to work out who you're batting with, which balls to take down, which ones you got to be a bit more lower risk at," Watson added.

Kohli's numbers while chasing are simply extraordinary. In 152 innings, he has scored 7794 runs at an average of 65.50 and a strike rate of 93.64 with 27 centuries and 40 half-centuries.

---

#4 "He is a living legend" - Aakash Chopra

Former India opener-turned-broadcaster Aakash Copra simply called Kohli a "living legend" whose greatness lies in his game awareness.

"Virat Kohli's story is different," he said in a video on his YouTube channel (7:50). "He is a living legend. The greatness is because he understands how to take the game forward, the demands of the situation, the sort of conditions that are there, and the pace at which he needs to pull the match."

However, Chopra also acknowledged the senior batter's mistake of aborting the run a little too late while batting with Suryakumar Yadav, which led to the latter's run-out.

---

#3 "The best thing he did today was have a good partnership with Ravindra Jadeja" - Suresh Raina

After Suryakumar got out, Ravindra Jadeja came to the middle. The all-rounder had struggled for runs in the lead-up to the tournament, which had become a major cause of concern for India. But his 39 (44) on Sunday was filled with perfectly calculated risks and some excellent running between the wickets.

Former India batter Suresh Raina, while praising Kohli, said his knock also helped Jadeja's confidence.

“Virat Kohli is in a very different zone. He’s been in prime form, enjoying his batting and is taking responsibility. The best thing he did today was have a good partnership with Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja is also amongst runs now and he needed that confidence from Virat Kohli,” Raina told India Today.

“Jadeja is now amongst the runs and finished the game unbeaten. Whenever the situation comes, Jadeja can also play the big shots. Every time we’re in trouble, Kohli says let me do the job for the team. He’s done that a lot of times. The confidence, the calmness, the game awareness has been amazing from Kohli,” Raina added.

Jadeja's form was more important for India in Hardik Pandya's absence, though the latter could return from injury as soon as the next match against England.

---

#2 "He lives for it" - Simon Doull

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has created an image of a ruthless analyst for himself of late, even criticizing India for going after stats instead of playing fearless cricket before the 2023 World Cup.

But even he said he didn't mind the former India captain looking for his three-figure milestone after winning his team the match.

"The clarity of thought to be able to do that from a batting point of view, while all else might be going around you...to have that clarity must be phenomenal... The way he thinks about it and constructs a run-chase. He lives for it," Doull stated.

Coincidentally his knock came just one day before the anniversary of another one of his great chases - against Pakistan at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

---

#1 "He ensured that calmness which is tremendous" - Sunil Gavaskar

Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar hailed Kohli's temperament and the sense of calm he provided to the chase.

"This was a very important situation from which to come through. And Kohli ensured that calmness which is tremendous, which gives you confidence if a similar situation occurs with a more demanding asking rate, as he will still be able to deliver," Gavaskar told Star Sports after the match.

India will now play against England in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29.