Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on Virat Kohli's consistency and batting prowess after the latter's 93-run knock off 91 deliveries played an instrumental role in India's victory against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series. Kohli's majestic innings resulted in the star batter bagging his 45th Player of the Match award in ODIs.

Irfan highlighted how Kohli has been finding runs regularly in his previous few innings. He also complimented Kohli's overall fitness and ability to still be effective while stepping out of the crease in a bid to score aggressively.

"The way Kohli is batting, we can call him 'Virat consistent Kohli'. In the last seven innings, he has scored three tons and four fifties. He missed out on a hundred by a whisker in the first ODI and has now amassed 28,000 runs in international cricket. Kohli deserves praise, 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, can a batter step out and hit those big shots.

shared Pathan in a video on his YouTube channel.

Besides speaking about how Kohli went about his innings in Vadodara on January 11, Irfan urged for future series to be of a longer duration so that he as well as the entire cricket fraternity can witness Kohli extending his run tally in international cricket.

"He played aggressively at the start, but scored only one boundary in the next 50 deliveries when he was set. It's 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," he added.

Kohli's knock at the Kotambi Stadium comprised eight fours and one six. Other than finding the boundary rope with ease, Kohli was able to rotate the strike at will.

The next two matches will be played in Rajkot and Indore on January 14 and January 18, respectively. There will be five T20Is played after the 50-over leg concludes. The first T20I is scheduled to commence on January 21.

The next two matches will be played in Rajkot and Indore on January 14 and January 18, respectively. There will be five T20Is played after the 50-over leg concludes. The first T20I is scheduled to commence on January 21.