Virat Kohli is the best white-ball cricketer, still good enough for Tests: Ravi Shastri

Former India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri reiterated his belief that Virat Kohli is the greatest white-ball cricketer of all time, praising the ease with which the Indian batsman dominated New Zealand in the first ODI in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4. Shastri also believes Kohli still has what it takes to play Test cricket, pointing to his exceptional fitness and remarkable consistency.

Kohli was a cut above the rest when he hit 13 boundaries and a six in his 51-ball 74 at Eden Park, on a surface that offered plenty of help to the New Zealand fast bowlers. After India bowled out the hosts for 185 in 40.2 overs, Rohit Sharma was out early in the chase. Shubman Gill and Kohli then put together a 113-run stand for the second wicket, with the latter taking charge as the innings progressed.

It was an innings that stood out not only for the runs Kohli scored but also for the way he scored them. While several Indian batsmen struggled to come to terms with the bounce and movement on offer, Kohli seemed to be operating on a different surface.

Also read: 10 days in charge, 626 runs: At 38, Virat Kohli is still employee of the year

Shastri was particularly impressed by the control and fluidity displayed by Kohli, terming it one of the best innings he has seen from the former Indian captain in recent years.

“I think it’s as good as he’s ever batted in these conditions. It’s not easy to play with such fluidity and authority on this track, not to spoil a leg. It’s as good an innings as he’s played in probably the last seven, eight, 10 years, if I may say so myself. He’s taken batting to another level there. For everyone else, he’s probably the best white-ball player of all time,” Shastri told Sony Sports.

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“When you look at his stats, the number of runs, how fast he gets them, the number of hundreds he has, the number of matches he wins in the chase and then he bats like that, a classic batsman,” he added.

HOW KOHLI RULED IN AUCKLAND

Kohli hasn’t had the smoothest of starts. Kyle Jamieson, using his height to extract extra bounce, made life difficult for the Indian batsmen and Kohli was initially content to assess the conditions rather than forcing the pace.

He was 29 off 27 balls before the second rain interruption in India’s chase. But once play resumed, he found his rhythm, brought up his half-century off 35 deliveries and launched the New Zealand attack.

Blair Tickner bore the brunt of this acceleration. Kohli had already taken the New Zealand pacer for a six, but it was his response to a flurry of short deliveries in Tickner’s next that particularly caught the eye. He put away all three short balls for boundaries and adjusted his strokes to the height and trajectory of each delivery.

Shastri pointed out that Kohli’s ability to pick his moments, coupled with his running between the wickets, keeps the bowlers under constant pressure.

“He’ll target the first or second ball of the over, as we’ve seen many times today, and then bowl. He’s such a good runner between the wickets that the bowler is under pressure all the time. He doesn’t get too many deliveries to Kohli. It’s not like six balls, five balls in the over. He’ll hit you for a few more strikes,” Shastri said.

This ability to control the pace of an innings has been one of Kohli’s defining strengths in ODI cricket. He can give himself time to settle, let the scoreboard move between singles and doubles, and then switch gears when the opportunity presents itself. In Auckland he did it all without looking rushed.

‘STILL CAN PERFORM IN TEST CRICKET’

Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket in the middle of the IPL 2025 season, it came as a surprise. He endured a difficult tour of Australia earlier that year, but also returned to domestic cricket and made it to Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in January 2025 after more than a decade away from the competition.

His decision to retire from the longest format, followed within days by Rohit Sharma’s retirement, marked the end of an era in Indian cricket. However, Shastri believes that Kohli still has the physical capacity and game to compete at the highest level in Test cricket.

“You go and ask the international players, the top players, they will say, ‘We want him to play Test cricket’. There is no doubt. He will still perform because his fitness is so high that it looks easy. It’s not something he puts in any extra effort for. It’s just muscle memory and work ethic. It’s just special,” Shastri said.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris also expressed disappointment at Kohli’s decision to retire from Tests, claiming the batsman remains among the best in the world despite now playing only one international format.

“I can’t understand (why people were) disappointed when Virat announced his retirement. And I have to say I think I’m in the same boat as everybody. Because when you play like that, he’s still in the conversation for the best batsman in the world even though he’s playing one format now,” Styris said.

Styris also pointed to the affection Kohli inspires among the fans, recalling how spectators stayed in the stands during the rain in Auckland.

“You ask: when it rained, why did the crowd stay? Because they don’t know if this is the last time they will watch Virat Kohli at Eden Park. And you will see the same at all the venues for these one-dayers. People will come because they want the opportunity to watch arguably the best player,” he said.

Kohli is now focused on maintaining his form for the remainder of the New Zealand tour. The second ODI is played in Wellington on Saturday 7 November.

With 626 runs from just 10 ODIs in 2026, at an average of 69.55 and a strike rate of 120.61, Kohli has already put together an impressive calendar year. He will have three more ODIs at home against Sri Lanka later this year, giving him the opportunity to push towards another 1,000-run season.

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