Virat Kohli was named Player of the Series after India defeated South Africa in the third ODI to clinch the three-match series on Saturday.
Kohli scored two consecutive centuries in the first two matches, hitting a 135 in Ranchi followed by 102 in Raipur. He finished the series with an unbeaten 65 in Visakhapatnam as India won the series decider by nine wickets.
In total, Kohli amassed 302 runs in the series at an average of 151 and a strike rate of 117.05.
“Honestly, playing the way I have in the series is the most satisfying thing for me. I feel really free in my mind. I haven’t played like this in 2-3 years. I know when I can bat like that in the middle, it helps the team a long way; makes me confident, any situation in the middle, I can handle that and bring it in favor of the team,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
“When I play freely, I know I can hit sixes. There’s always levels you can always unlock,” he added.
The first one at Ranchi (his favourite of the three tons this series) – because I hadn’t played a game since Australia. Just how your energy is on the day, Ranchi is very special for me and I’m very grateful as to how these three games have gone,” Kohli said.
This is Kohli’s 12th Player of the Series award in the ODI format — second-most after Sachin Tendulkar, who was adjudged 15 times in his career.
Published on Dec 06, 2025
