Good to have Hardik back – Kohli praises all-rounder on his ODI return

Pandya picked up the wickets of Henry Nicholls and Micthell Santner in his first ODI since the Asia Cup in September. It followed on from his recall to the side after his suspension for making inappropriate remarks on an Indian television show was lifted.

Speaking to the press after India sealed their series victory, Kohli said: "It's very, very good to have him [Hardik] back. He is someone who provides a lot of balance to the team. And the way he bowled today showed that he went back and was practicing his skills.

"He put his head down and focussed on what he needed to do and you could tell from the way he bowled with intensity straightaway, picking two crucial wickets at that stage.

"He's someone who will give you those important contributions overall in all three departments and that's something any team would love to have and when he comes in to the side, our bowling attack and batting line-up looks a lot more balanced.

"It's good to have him back in the right headspace and the right kind of mind-frame to perform for the team and I hope he can keep growing with this performance and build on from this."

Kohli hailed his side’s performance, particularly that of his bowling attack after they reduced the Black Caps to a total of just 243.

“The fact that we have won three [matches] is an outstanding achievement,” said Kohli. “The thing that stands out for me is the relentless intensity with which the guys have played throughout these three games not relaxing after 2-0 as well which is very important.

“They’ve started to realise how to close series, how to capitalise when we have advantage in series. So it’s great if you see the bowlers, they were as hungry as the first two games, wanting to pick wickets, Shami running in, Bhuvi bowling good areas. Hardik was really, really good today, and those two spinners are quality anyways. Overall I’m very, very pleased with how the three games have gone. They’ve all been very clinical performances.”

With the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup just months away, Kohli recognises that despite India’s dominating form over New Zealand, they will have to be at their "intense best" to find success in the tournament.

“When you play like that against them [New Zealand] it gives you a lot of confidence as a team.

“But in a tournament like a World Cup you never know what kind of confidence a team is carrying when you play them. If it's the first game then you can sort of bank on these things, but if they've have had a great tournament already before playing us and they're in a great space then this series is not a guarantee that we'll have a upper hand against them in the World Cup. We'll have to start well, we'll have to create momentum because it’s a long tournament with a lot of group games.

“We’re just fine tuning everything we need to as a team, but come the World Cup, every team will have to be at their best – their intense best."

Kohli is now set to take a rest, missing the remaining two ODIs in the series. The absence of the Indian skipper may allow for Shubman Gill to make his much-awaited international debut, and speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli highlighted the young batsman’s talent.

“A word on the youngsters coming in - I think there are some outstanding talents,” said Kohli. “We saw Prithvi Shaw grab the opportunity with both hands. Shubman is a very exciting talent and I saw him bat in the nets and I was like, ‘Wow, I was not even 10 per cent of that when I was 19,’" said Kohli.

"That's the confidence that they carry and it's great for Indian cricket, the standard keeps going up and the guys coming in can make those impact performances straightaway."