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Oct 8,2026 09:36 PM IST

Virat Kohli Gives Pep Talk, Autographed Ball To Net Bowler Ahead Of 1st New Zealand ODI - Video Wins Hearts

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Sports Home India vs New Zealand 2026 News Virat Kohli Gives Pep Talk Autographed Ball To Net Bowler Ahead Of 1st New Zealand ODI Video Wins Hearts

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Virat Kohli Gives Pep Talk, Autographed Ball To Net Bowler Ahead Of 1st New Zealand ODI - Video Wins Hearts

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli shared a brief pep talk with a local net bowler before signing a cricket ball for him ahead of the first ODI encounter against New Zealand.

NDTV Sports Desk
Updated: January 11, 2026 12:52 pm IST

Read Time: 3 min

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Virat Kohli in conversation with a net bowler ahead of 1st New Zealand ODI© X (Twitter)

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli shared a brief pep talk with a local net bowler before signing a cricket ball for him ahead of the first ODI encounter against New Zealand on Sunday. The star batter had a heartfelt interaction with the net bowler and the video has already gone viral on social media. After the nets session at the Kotambi Stadium, he was seen having a brief interaction with the youngster. After an extended net session, Kohli offered some words of encouragement and also signed a cricket ball for him. During the exchange, Kohli was heard delivering a motivational message: “Agar maar padh bhi jaati hai to koi baat nahi, par conviction se, ki main wo ball daal raha hu jo mujhe daalna hai, main wo ball nahi daal raha jo batsman mujhse dalwa raha hai (Even if you get hit, it's fine. But you should have the conviction that you are delivering a ball that you want to, not the one the batter wants you to bowl)".

Virat Kohli to a young net bowler -:

“Kuch karega hi nahi.
Vo sirf ispe hi wait kar raha hai ki
batsman ki galti ho jaaye,
ki ball ghoom jaaye apne aap without setup.
To agar maar padh bhi jaati hai, koi problem nahi hai.
Lekin condition:
Mujhe vo ball dalni hai, main vo ball… pic.twitter.com/Hge5MXiqiI

— Sonu (@Cricket_live247) January 10, 2026

Ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand on Sunday, Indian batting legend Virat Kohli is just 25 runs away from becoming the third player to score 28,000 international runs after the great Sachin Tendulkar and former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.

Additionally, Kohli needs 42 more runs to topple Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to become the second-highest run-getter of all time across all formats.

Currently, Kohli has amassed 27,975 runs in 556 matches and 623 innings in international cricket. The right-handed batter has a superb average of 52.58 along with 84 centuries and 145 half-centuries across all formats.

Ahead of Kohli is Sri Lankan legend Sangakkara, who notched up 28,016 runs in 594 matches and 666 innings in international cricket. The former cricketer averaged 46.77, including 63 centuries and 153 fifties.

The leading run-getter in international cricket is Indian legend Tendulkar. The great batter smashed 34,357 runs in 664 matches and 782 innings at an average of 48.25. Tendulkar scored 100 centuries and 164 half-centuries across all formats.

Ahead of the first ODI, India ODI captain Shubman Gill has highlighted the importance of Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian cricket team.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the 1st India vs New Zealand ODI of the three-match ODI series, Gill lauded Rohit as one of the greatest openers in ODIs and Kohli as one of the greatest batters in ODI cricket ever.

The India ODI captain Gill added that having Rohit and Kohli in the side makes a captain's life much easier, because whenever there is a challenging situation, you can go to them for decision-making, which is valuable for any captain.

"Among the two players you have named, one is one of the greatest openers (Rohit) of all time in ODIs, and Virat bhai is one of the greatest ODI batsmen ever. So definitely, having these two people in your team makes your life a lot easier, and whenever you are in a challenging situation, you can go to them for input. Because they have often been in those situations, you can go to them to see how they think or what they would do. That piece of information is very valuable for any captain," Gill said.

(With ANI inputs)