Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on Virat Kohli after India secured a eight-wicket win against the West Indies in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Kohli scored a brilliant knock of 139 runs off just 88 balls, including 10 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 157.95. The talisman look untroubled throughout the course of his innings and scored his runs with absolute ease.

The veteran also became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15000 ODI runs and he got to the milestone in 74 innings quicker than the Master Blaster. This was Kohli’s 55th ODI century and his 86th International ton.

Kohli has batted with an aggressive approach in the last one year and he continued in the same template against the Windies, taking the tourists’ bowlers to the cleaners. 

Chopra hailed Kohli for taking an aggressive route in his batting and delivering the goods for the team.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “This isn’t vintage. This is completely upgraded. This is updated. Who had seen Virat Kohli like this before? This guy said no. He said, ‘I’m going to change.’ These things are going to change. Why? Because I think I need to change the expectations. I mean, whatever you people keep expecting, I’m now going to play in my own style. If playing aggressively is possible, then that’s what I’m going to do. Nine, the most in an ODI innings by Virat Kohli. These are the kinds of things that usually happen in the first half of a career. You don’t see these things after 303 innings. But he did that too.

“So this was not vintage, bro. It was Virat Kohli in a completely aggressive, authoritative, assertive avatar. It’s the kind of avatar that, the more you watch, the more you admire him,” he added.

The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday.