IND vs NZ 1st ODI: Global star Kohli on sending his cricket accolades to his mother, 'I look back...'

Virat Kohli is a global superstar, having achieved almost everything as a cricketer; even to this day, after breaking records for fun and steering India to countless wins across formats, he doesn't have a count of his accolades as he sends them all to his mother living in Gurugram, India. Running high on good form, Kohli missed out on his third hundred in four successive outings for India in the recently concluded first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, scoring a valiant 93 and winning the Player of the Match (POM) award for his match-winning knock.

Currently sitting in the third place for the most POMs won in the ODIs, just three shy of Sanath Jayasuriya’s tally (48), Kohli said he was honestly unaware of the number of accolades he won in the One-Dayers, adding that he feels grateful to do it for his country every time, and that it has been nothing short of a dream.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Kohli said when asked about his growing collection of Player of the Match trophies. “I send it to my mum in Gurgaon; she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey, then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities. I have worked a lot for where I am today, God has blessed me with way too much, and I have a lot of gratitude in my heart. I feel proud.”

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Since announcing his Test retirement midway through the IPL last year, Kohli has been active in just one format – the 50-over format. After bagging a rare pair of ducks Down Under late in October, Kohli’s form peaked like old-time sake. Following his match-winning fifty in the SCG ODI, Virat slammed twin hundreds in the first two ODIs against South Africa at home before scoring an unbeaten fifty in the last one to see India home.

Back playing his favourite format this year, Kohli hit another fifty-plus score (93) in the series opener against New Zealand, helping India win the game by four wickets and take a 1-0 lead. Although he got out before the game ended, Virat managed to surpass Kumar Sangakkara for the most international runs, now sitting in the second place with 28,068 runs and counting, only behind his batting idol and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar (34,357).

Meanwhile, Kohli will be seen in action next in the second ODI in Rajkot on Wednesday (Jan 14).