Irfan Pathan Analyzes Virat Kohli's Secret to Unmatched ODI Consistency

Pathan noted Kohli's head position and his body strength, saying they help the batter on the crease.

Kohli scored 93 off 91 balls, helping India clinch the match by four wickets while chasing New Zealand's 301-run target at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara.

Notably, this marked Kohli's seventh consecutive fifty-plus score in the 50-over cricket since the third match of the ODI series in Australia in October 2025. Of the seven fifty-plus scores, Kohli has three centuries (two in ODIs and one in the Vijay Hazare Trophy). His last seven scores read: 93, 77, 131, 65*, 102, 135, and 74*.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan offered high praise to Kohli, calling him "Virat consistent Kohli". Pathan lauded the 37-year-old batter's strong technique, fitness and fearless approach--especially his ability to step out of the crease and adapt his innings effectively.

Pathan also noted that while Kohli hit several boundaries in the early stages of his innings against New Zealand, he changed his approach thereafter.

Pathan also called for there to be more five-match ODI series and even triangular ODI series so that the cricket world can see more of Kohli, since he is exclusively an ODI player now.

"The way Virat Kohli is batting, we can call him 'Virat consistent Kohli'. In the last seven innings, he has scored three centuries and four half-centuries. He missed out on a hundred by a whisker in the first ODI and has now amassed 28000 runs in international cricket. He is now only the second after Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli deserves praise for the way he approaches his innings, especially for stepping out regularly at 37. When a batter steps out regularly, many things can go wrong. But Kohli's head position is strong, and it shows his technique is strong. Your core needs to be strong, so do your calves and glutes. Only then, a batter step out and hit those big shots. He had struck six boundaries in his first 20 balls and changed his approach afterwards," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

"He played aggressively at the start, but scored only one boundary in the next 50 deliveries when he was set. It is amazing to see his approach and how he keeps getting better. I feel there should be either a five-match series or a triangular series so we can see Kohli score more international runs. Not only was I expecting him to score a ton, but also finish the game. He often does that, but couldn't today," Pathan said further.

With the fifty, Virat Kohli also surpassed Kumar Sangakkara's tally of 28,016 runs to become the second-highest run-getter across all formats in international cricket, only behind Sachin Tendulkar. Now in 557 matches, Kohli has 28,068 runs to his name at an average of 52.66, with 84 centuries in 146 centuries.

- ANI