'He'll go down as one of the greats of the game for a reason' - Star New Zealand player expresses admiration for Virat Kohli after IND vs. NZ World Cup 2023 clash

The star middle-order batter New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell went on to praise Virat Kohli's performance while chasing a challenging target of 274 in the 2023 World Cup match in Dharamsala on Sunday, October 22. The all-rounder, who excels in seam bowling, commended Kohli's innings, emphasizing its impressiveness even though Kohli didn't reach a century. Mitchell expressed his belief that the 34-year-old batter has the potential to be one of the cricketing greats.

The iconic Indian batsman displayed remarkable resilience as New Zealand presented India with a challenging target of 274 runs to achieve victory in Dharamsala, courtesy of Daryl Mitchell's explosive century. Initially, the 34-year-old seemed a bit uncertain, but he steadily absorbed the pressure, making calculated risks even as wickets kept falling at the opposite end. He maintained his composure and was dismissed for 95 runs, leaving India on the cusp of their fifth consecutive World Cup victory.

"He's a world-class player and he'll go down as one of the greats of the game for a reason. A very good knock under pressure I thought and although he didn't get 100, he got his team across the line," Mitchell said.

In this tournament, Kohli's run tally has reached 354 runs in just 5 innings, with a remarkable average of 118. With 48 centuries to his name, the right-handed batsman is now just 1 century short of matching Sachin Tendulkar's record. He narrowly missed achieving this milestone on Sunday.

 I'm just really proud of our bowling unit: Mitchell

Despite their inability to defend the total, the right-handed batter expressed pride in their bowling efforts and believed that dew conditions made it easier for the Indian batters. Mitchell, who scored 130, mentioned that they are experimenting with different strategies to take wickets. The star all-rounder also conveyed his pride in the efforts of their bowlers. With 4 wins in 5 matches, the Kiwis are still in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals.

"Look for us as Kiwis, we'll just keep throwing punches, we'll keep trying different things and we'll keep trying to take wickets and I'm just really proud of our bowling unit tonight and how they tried to do that for periods of time and in conditions which probably got better with the dew with the wicket so yeah for us really proud of our efforts and we look forward to taking on the Aussies in just under a week's time," Mitchell added.