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Virat Kohli visited the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Visakhapatnam’s Simhachalam on Sunday after India's 2-1 victory in the ODI series against South Africa. Kohli slammed an unbeaten 65 as India hammered South Africa by 9 wickets in the third and final ODI at the ACA-VCA Stadium in Vizag to clinch the three-match series 2-1.
Kohli rediscovered his form in the series with two centuries and a fifty in the three matches. He finished with an impressive 302 runs in three matches to bag the Player of the Series Award and help India bounce back after their humiliating 2-0 whitewash in the Test series against the Proteas last month.
A day after the game, Kohli visited the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple alone and sought blessings. In videos that surfaced on social media, Kohli can be seen performing rituals at the temple and seeking blessings from Lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha.
Kohli shut his critics in style and buried any doubts regarding his participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup with his phenomenal performance in the ODI series against South Africa. After his struggles in the ODI series against Australia last month, Kohli seemed to have regained his mojo as he amassed a whopping 302 runs in the three matches against the Proteas at home.
Kohli looked at his vintage best as he began the series on a high with a magnificent 135-run knock in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. He slammed a second consecutive ton in the 2nd ODI in Raipur, notching up a brilliant knock of 102 runs. In the third and final ODI in Vizag, Kohli slammed an unbeaten 65 to finish the series as the highest run-getter.
Kohli also finished as the highest run-getter for India in ODIs in 2025 with 651 runs in 13 matches at an average of 65.10, including three centuries and 4 fifties. With the help of his two tons against South Africa, Kohli also extended his tally to 84 centuries in international cricket and is now only 16 short of equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 centuries.
The former India captain is expected to play for Delhi in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. He will take part in a couple of matches for Delhi in the group stage of the tournament. Kohli will be next seen in action for India in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in January next year.
