India, Jan. 19 -- Such is the legend of Virat Kohli that everyone's an admirer, if not a fan. So much so that even New Zealand's media manager ensured he did not get ahead of himself as long as Kohli was batting. The 3rd ODI at Indore went through its usual ebbs and flows. India had New Zealand on the mat early before Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips hit centuries to post 338. India's top order was rocked at 71/4 before Kohli's 54th ODI century, and Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana's maiden fifties staged India's fightback.

At 159/5, when Reddy departed, the script looked all too familiar. With Kohli running out of partners, India appeared to be falling short. That Harshit added 99 runs with Kohli was a welcome boost, but even then, the as...