Rachin Ravindra hails Virat Kohli, regards his wicket vital for New Zealand

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who struck a brilliant century in the first innings, expressed that dismissing Virat Kohli on the final ball of Day three was a major morale boost for his team. Kohli, having been out for a duck in the first innings to pacer Will O'Rourke, played a crucial role in India’s resurgence in the second innings. With Shubman Gill being unavailable due to injury, Kohli stepped up to bat at No. 3, showing no hesitation after his earlier setback. India gained a solid start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, which contrasted sharply with India’s dismal first-innings collapse where they were bowled out for a record low of 46.

Kohli's wicket was crucial for New Zealand, says Rachin Ravindra 

Virat Kohli continued the momentum after Jaiswal's dismissal as the seasoned batter looked comfortable at the crease. Though Rohit was dismissed in a freakish manner, Kohli found strong support in Sarfaraz Khan. The duo took on the New Zealand bowlers, helping India fight back. However, just when it seemed Kohli and Sarfaraz would guide India safely to stumps, part-time spinner Glenn Phillips managed to find Kohli's edge with the final ball of the day. A frustrated Kohli reviewed the decision, but replays confirmed a faint nick. Kohli departed for 70, bringing an end to a 136-run partnership, but he ensured India remained in the contest. 

Rachin Ravindra who has shined as the top-performer for the Kiwis so far in Bengaluru, took note of the brilliant knock by Kohli. The youngster highlighted Kohli's 9000-run stand in Test cricket as he emphasized the importance of his wicket for New Zealand.

"It's pretty hard to crystal-ball gaze into the future. It's a quality batting line-up on a wicket that's not doing too much, so it's important for us to hold our lines and lengths and do that for long periods. But I think Kohli's wicket at the end was very important," Ravindra told. "Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket. We know things happen quickly in this part of the world, so, hopefully, we can stick at it and get a few wickets in the morning," he added.

In the process, Virat Kohli also crossed the 9000-run milestone in Test cricket. New Zealand still holds a lead of 125 runs, with Ravindra contributing significantly with his second Test century, a composed 134. At stumps on Day three of the India vs New Zealand clash in the cloudy Bengaluru, India trailed by 125. The day concluded after Virat Kohli unfortunately failed to convert his half-century knock into his 81st ton. Sarfaraz Khan remained unbeaten at the score of 70 off 78.