‘Kohli has more chances of scoring a hundred than Rohit’: Pujara ahead of IND vs NZ ODIs

Talismanic Indian batter Virat Kohli has an outstanding 50-over record against New Zealand, even if his century tally on Kiwi soil remains surprisingly sparse. Although his ODI average against the Kiwis reads a brilliant 56.58, including six hundreds, Virat has scored only one of them in New Zealand, 12 years ago during the Napier ODI. Potentially on his last ODI tour of New Zealand, which resumes with the first of the five ODIs on November 4, Kohli has a higher chance than opener Rohit Sharma to score a century (or more), Cheteshwar Pujara suggests.

Like Kohli, Rohit too has tasted success against New Zealand, though Kohli leads him across overall runs and century tallies. Against the Black Caps across all venues, Rohit has scored 1,134 runs in 31 ODIs (3 centuries), compared to Kohli’s 1,641 runs in 33 games (6 centuries).

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Speaking on JioHotstar about who is more likely to taste success against the high-flying Kiwis in their conditions during the five-match ODI series, Pujara said, “The way Rohit bats, he has a role of providing good starts in the powerplay. In New Zealand, maybe that role changes, so he could go for a century. But for Virat, the chances are slightly higher because he bats at number three. His game is more about playing the anchor role.

“So, for a batsman coming in at number three, scoring a century in the ODI format becomes a bit easier. The opener's role is also defined, but in New Zealand conditions, that changes a bit. So, I feel Virat has more chances of scoring a hundred in New Zealand than Rohit,” he continued.

Rohit and Kohli Gear up for ODI Series

The two star batters reached New Zealand midway through the T20I series, drawing massive crowd attention ahead of a marquee ODI series. The two trained with the team, with cricket fans flocking to the training arenas to take a glimpse of their favourite cricketers.

Both Kohli and Rohit are set to headline India’s batting attack against the top seamers in such challenging conditions.

Eden Park in Auckland will host the series opener on November 4, with the action moving to Wellington (2nd ODI on Nov 7), Hamilton (3rd ODI on Nov 10), and Mount Maunganui (4th and 5th ODIs on Nov 13 and 15) for the remainder of the white-ball leg.