After successfully completing the Aussie tour, Kohli and Co. are looking to kick off their final tour. They will now take on the final SENA country New Zealand. The tour will consist of five ODIs and three T20Is.
The first match of the series will begin at Mclean Park in Napier on Wednesday. Besides the clash of the two teams, the world will also witness the clash of the two skippers.
Both Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson are the finest batsmen of their respective teams. It will be a exciting watch to witness the clash of the world’s best batsmen.
India have last toured in New Zealand back in 2014 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In that series India lost the tie by 0-4 and one match ended in a tie.
Veteran Dhoni, who has recently hit form, will be playing as the wicketkeeper in this series. India have won the last two ODI series against the Kiwis under the leadership of Kohli. The Men in Blue will be looking to continue their good run of form.
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Williamson and Kohli adore each other
Both the skippers share a cordial relation with one another. This is because of their involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Kohli leads Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Williamson is the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The 28-year-old Williamson wants to stop his counterpart as soon as possible. He knows that if the Kiwis can stop Kohli and take his wicket early, they will get an added advantage.
On the eve of the first ODI, Williamson said in an interview:
Someone like Virat is certainly a player I admire and enjoy to watch and he’s pushing the boundaries of the game so that’s brilliant. He’s a respectful guy and I’ve known him for a very long time but as a player, obviously, word class and our focus is more about that and his cricketing ability and how we can combat him as best as we can.
Kohli has recently scored his 39th ODI century. He is now just 10 centuries short in ODI format of his compatriot Sachin Tendulkar. Master Blaster has 49 centuries in the 50-overs format. Kohli has also praised Williamson as he said the latter is the most attractive batsman when in form.
The Men in Blue are currently in a good run of form in the ODI format. After winning the Asia Cup, they won successive bilateral series against the Windies and Australia.
On the other hand, the Kiwis are also on good song. After leveling 1-1 with Pakistan, they hammered Sri Lanka 3-0.