NEW DELHI: Former India captain Virat Kohli, accompanied by wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, visited the Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Saturday to offer prayers ahead of the series-deciding third ODI against New Zealand.After the temple visit, Kohli briefly greeted those present, saying, “Jai shree Mahakal”.
The two players are set to feature in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on January 18. The decider comes after New Zealand, led by Michael Bracewell, bounced back strongly in the second ODI at Rajkot to deny India an unassailable series lead.Speaking to ANI following the darshan, Kuldeep reflected on the spiritual visit, saying, “It was a very good experience. It’s been 9 years since I first had darshan here. It brings a lot of joy and bliss. By the grace of God, everything is good, and if his grace remains, we will perform well in the World Cup.”India had entered the second ODI high on confidence after sealing a thrilling four-wicket win in the series opener at Vadodara. However, they were outplayed in Rajkot, suffering a seven-wicket defeat as New Zealand leveled the series 1-1.Despite the loss, KL Rahul stood out for India with a composed unbeaten 112, anchoring the innings. New Zealand, however, rode on Daryl Mitchell’s brilliant unbeaten 131, which proved decisive in chasing down the target and restoring parity in the series.Kohli, meanwhile, has been in the spotlight for his personal milestones as well. Earlier this week, he regained the top position in the ICC ODI batting rankings, overtaking former skipper Rohit Sharma. Though his first outing after reclaiming the number one spot yielded just 23 off 29 balls, Kohli achieved another significant landmark by becoming India’s highest run-scorer against New Zealand in ODI cricket.In 35 ODIs and innings against the Kiwis, Kohli has now amassed 1,773 runs at an impressive average of 55.4, including six centuries and 10 half-centuries, with a top score of 154. He has gone past Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 1,750 runs in 42 matches against New Zealand at an average of 46.05, with five hundreds and eight fifties.
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