Gaikwad mirrors Kohli with a top knock of his own

One-day cricket has a certain rhythm. It is unlike the madness of T20s or the stifling squeeze of a tight Test. It is a cross between the two but finding the sweet spot can sometimes (just ask Suryakumar Yadav) be tougher than it looks.

- Ashish Magotra

Over the years, that rhythm has become second nature to Virat Kohli. He walks into bat, understands the conditions and gets down to business. But most impressive, even after watching him for so many years, is how smoothly he operates in the middle. The ones and twos are sharp but when he is in the middle, the overall atmosphere is one of control.

On Wednesday, one got the very same feeling when Ruturaj Gaikwad batted. The 28-year-old right-hander might not have played the series if Shreyas Iyer had been fit. But now that he is here, he wants to make the most of the opportunity, and he did it in the best possible manner.

If you have seen him bat in domestic cricket or in IPL, you'll know that the man can bat. He is technically superb and has the gift of timing. But his ODI numbers had been underwhelming - seven matches and 123 runs at an average of 17.57.