During his stint at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2026 season, Jacob Duffy saw firsthand the grounded nature of Virat Kohli, a figure revered in India. With New Zealand’s ODI series against India starting in Auckland, Duffy expressed anticipation about facing Kohli on the field again.
“I got to see him [Kohli] yesterday,” Duffy shared during a media session in Auckland. “He was in the gym, obviously, so running into him there was cool, but he was awesome to me.” Praising Kohli’s hospitality towards international players at RCB, Duffy added, “It’ll be awesome to play against him now that I’ve sort of shared a changing room with him as well.”
Reflecting on his numerous interactions with Kohli on tactics and strategy during their RCB days, Duffy explained, “He’s got a great work ethic. I bowled a lot to him in the nets because he was always the first batter and I was always the first bowler. We actually spent a lot of time facing each other in the nets, so that’s quite cool. But also from there, he’s seen a lot of me now too, so he’ll have good preparation.”
Duffy detailed how their conversations often involved the intricacies of playing on India’s various pitches. “We talk about certain wickets back in India. Certain wickets are quite different, so he talked a lot about the different lines and lengths on those kinds of wickets and how he adjusts,” he noted.
The T20I series preceding this ODI encounter saw Duffy experiencing mixed outcomes. Having conceded 44 runs in just two overs during the third match in Wellington, he made a strong comeback with figures of 4 for 23 in a subsequent match in Auckland. As he transitions to the 50-over format, Duffy expressed fondness for ODI cricket, pointing to its blend of strategic bowling and fast-paced action.
“Personally, I quite like ODI cricket,” Duffy said. “What I like about it is that up top, you get a little bit of the hard lengths with the swinging ball and stuff like that. Then you get a little bit of the hit and giggle near the end.” Looking ahead to the next year’s World Cup in South Africa, he added, “Growing up [watching the] 2015 World Cup, 2019 World Cup, those, to me, are the pinnacles of our game. That’s pretty high on the priority list, I think.”
Emphasising the importance of the upcoming series as preparation for the World Cup, Duffy commented, “Obviously, a year out from that, I think these [games] play a pretty important roles in that. I guess we’re trying to build and push for a case to make that squad.”
