Watch: Virat Kohli mobbed by fans at Vadodara airport

Dubai: Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli was greeted by a sea of fans as he arrived at Vadodara airport on Wednesday ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand.

What began as eager anticipation quickly escalated into a frenzy the moment Kohli stepped out, with chants of “Kohli, Kohli” echoing through the terminal. Amid heightened security and a flurry of selfie attempts, the batting maestro found it difficult to navigate his way to the team vehicle — yet another testament to his immense popularity on home soil.

Kohli enters the series in impressive form. He struck a half-century in the final ODI in Australia before reaffirming his authority in familiar conditions with two successive centuries and a fifty in the home ODI series against South Africa earlier last year. His rich vein of form also carried into domestic cricket, where he registered a century and a half-century for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Having stepped away from T20Is and Tests, Kohli has focused his energies on the ODI format, continuing to underline his status as one of the game’s premier batters. The New Zealand series will be his first international assignment of 2026, and the veteran will be eager to carry forward the momentum he built through 2025, particularly in conditions that have consistently suited him.

The opening ODI in Vadodara holds a nostalgic element for Kohli as well. His last appearance at the venue in the 50-over format came in 2010 — also against New Zealand — when he scored an unbeaten 63 in a successful run chase. That match saw Gautam Gambhir, now India’s head coach, earn Player of the Match honours with an unbeaten 126, as the duo stitched together a 114-run partnership for the second wicket.

The ODI series begins in Vadodara on January 11, before moving to Rajkot on January 14 and concluding in Indore on January 18.