Jacob Duffy Praises Virat Kohli After India’s Five-Wicket Victory Over New Zealand in Auckland

AUCKLAND–New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy praised Virat Kohli’s batting ability following India’s five-wicket victory in the opening One-Day International at Eden Park on Wednesday, admitting that the former Indian captain has few weaknesses that opposing bowlers can exploit.

Kohli struck an aggressive 74 off 51 deliveries to guide India to victory under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Playing a day before his 38th birthday, Kohli dominated New Zealand’s bowling attack with powerful pull shots, hooks and drives as India reached a revised target of 143 in just 22.4 overs, well inside the allotted 32 overs.

Duffy, who had previously bowled to Kohli during IPL 2026 training sessions in Bengaluru, said the Indian batter’s performance came as little surprise.

“It was a bit annoying, wasn’t it? Small targets like that. If you get a guy to come out with that kind of intent to knock it off, it can just break the chase pretty easily and he’s a pretty good guy to do it. Quite impressive, wasn’t he? Like he didn’t struggle with the bounce.

“He got inside those hook shots, pull shots, and then he can whack you down the ground. No surprise, he’s a good player. He’s done it for a lot of years and he did that to me in the nets a lot in Bangalore,” Duffy said during the post-match press conference.

The New Zealand pacer acknowledged that Kohli might have approached his innings differently had India been chasing a larger target. However, he said his previous experience bowling to the Indian star had offered few clues about how to dismiss him.

“I think if they’re batting first or there’s a bigger score on the board, it’d be interesting to see if he plays like that. I don’t know if he will.

“I did get some intel in the nets over in Bangalore, but there’s not many holes in his game, to be fair. On small grounds like that, he uses the pace really well, and then he can obviously, like I said, hit you over your head as well. So, there’s not many holes in that man’s game.”

Beyond Kohli’s batting, Duffy expressed admiration for the way the Indian cricketer manages the enormous public attention that accompanies him throughout his career.

Having spent time around Kohli during the IPL, including at airports and on flights, Duffy said he had witnessed firsthand the pressures of being one of India’s most recognizable sporting figures.

“We got a wee taste of it. Obviously, well, probably more of a taste of it in Bangalore, following him around the airports and sitting on planes with him and stuff. It’s a weird life. There’s nothing we can fathom.

“What I, not just him, but a lot of the Indian blokes, they are very patient, especially, and they appreciate their fans very much. So, at times it gets a little bit on top of you, especially in India, we’re there for a long time, and it does get a little bit on top of you and you get a little bit impatient sometimes, especially as the overseas players.

“But the local boys and Virat, they’re the patient guys. They’re the ones that appreciate the fans, and so I’ve always looked up to him for that reason. But he has a pretty wild lifestyle. I don’t know if it’s my cup of tea to be harassed as much as he is. But it’s impressive to watch. It’s quite amazing.”

Earlier in the match, India’s pace attack dominated New Zealand after the visitors elected to bowl first.

The hosts were dismissed for 185 in 40.2 overs, with Arshdeep Singh claiming four wickets and Gurnoor Brar taking three.

Anshul Kamboj delivered an economical performance, conceding just 22 runs in his 10 overs while taking two wickets. His contribution earned him the Player of the Match award.

Duffy acknowledged that New Zealand’s batting performance left its bowlers with an extremely difficult task, particularly at Eden Park, where relatively short boundaries often favor aggressive batting.

“Probably 180 at Eden Park is never going to be enough, I think. Obviously, I think they bowled really well. I think they’ve got some big boys in that bowling team and they used the bounce of the surface really well.

“So, they did that well and we probably just weren’t at our best with the bat to start with and then pretty tough to defend 180 and then they can just come hard like that and just knock a few off pretty quick.”

The fast bowler credited India’s seamers for exploiting the conditions effectively, particularly the bounce available from the surface.

“Credit to them for bowling very well. They extracted bounce very well, and like I said, very tall bowlers at the seam and extracted that bounce.

“I think you saw when the guys did try to sort of lift the ante or play some shots, then quite a few went straight up, which no, I wouldn’t have fallen for that. I think they’ll adapt and adjust, and I think we’re a good batting team. It’s not going to happen again like that, I can’t imagine. So, they’ll adapt and go again.”

Duffy also pointed to the influence of weather conditions and the toss, suggesting that moisture on the pitch had made batting more difficult for New Zealand before conditions improved during India’s chase.

“It’s a tough one. It definitely plays a factor. I think we’re lying if we say it’s not. Everyone wants to toss in bowls for us for a reason. I’m not saying it’s not impossible, don’t get me wrong. It’s not like it’s huge – it’s not like we’re giving up as soon as we’ve lost a toss.

“But as soon as you get a little bit of moisture in the wicket, I thought tonight there’s a bit of wind around and we actually might not, but I guess the rain sort of adds that moisture that the dew would have otherwise. So when it does skid on like that, it sort of takes away the tackiness and that sort of tennis bully bounce we saw in their innings, which that’s what I thought made the ball. They’re batting hard.”

New Zealand’s total was boosted by a 39-run partnership for the final wicket between Duffy and Blair Tickner.

Duffy credited Tickner, batting at No. 11, for helping the hosts add valuable runs after the top and middle orders struggled.

“Tix batted well. I aged a few. It was amazing, wasn’t it? Like I said, the big boys get some bounce and we tried to swing and have a few, but it didn’t quite come off. But Tix was quite impressive, wasn’t he? Good ball striking for a number 11. Pretty impressive.”

Despite the defeat, Duffy said New Zealand remained determined to challenge India aggressively throughout the series.

He explained that the hosts deliberately used short-pitched deliveries during India’s chase to establish their approach for the remaining matches.

“To be honest, probably a little bit too little, too late. But there’s still things to gain out there.

“We showed our intent for the series. We’re not going to back down. We’re going to come hard at these guys and show what we’ve got. In this situation, the short ball seemed to work a little bit, so that was the option to put our stamp on the series, I guess.”

New Zealand will look to level the five-match series when the teams meet in the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday, while India will aim to build on its opening victory and Kohli’s impressive batting performance. (Source: IANS)