Virat Kohli Is a Sensational Player but New Zealand Not Obsessed With One Batsman, Says Ross Taylor Ahead of IND vs NZ 1st ODI 2019

India and New Zealand take on each other in the five-match One-Day Internationals (ODIs), which begins on January 23 at Napier. Ahead of the opening fixture, New Zealand’s star batsman Ross Taylor has indicated that Indian captain Virat Kohli is one of the threats in the Indian batting line-up and not the only one. The Black Caps middle-order batsman believes his team cannot be obsessed just with Kohli. India vs New Zealand 2019 Schedule: Squads, Match Timings in IST, Live Streaming and Telecast Details of IND vs NZ Series.

Taylor went on to say that India have got a good opening pair in Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and before Kohli gets in Kiwis will have to face them. "He's a sensational player, the best one-day player going around, easily. It's easy to get caught up in him. You've got two pretty good openers at the top, Sharma, and Dhawan before he gets in,” Taylor told stuff.co.nz.

Meanwhile, Taylor was happy with the fact that he will be playing at the McLean Park in Napier, a venue where he made his debut. "It always holds a special place for me. I made my debut here and got my first ODI hundred [against Sri Lanka in 2006]. It's nice to play in front of family and friends and it's been a while,” Taylor said. India vs New Zealand 2019: 5 Records & Stats You Need to Know Ahead of the IND vs NZ ODI Series.

India and New Zealand are ranked second and third respectively on ICC team rankings for ODIs. The five-match series between the two sides is expected to be a closely fought one. India comes into the series having outplayed Australia in Tests and ODIs while New Zealand thrashed visitors, Sri Lanka, recently.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2019 10:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).