Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has defended Virat Kohli's legacy after the batting icon scored 74 in India's third ODI against England at Lord's on 20 July, insisting that Kohli's stature in world cricket was never dependent on a single venue or a single innings. India fell 27 runs short of a daunting 388-run target, handing England a 2-1 series victory.

Pathan's Defence of Kohli's Legacy

Pathan pushed back firmly against the outsized importance often placed on Lord's as a benchmark for batting greatness. Speaking to JioStar, he said Kohli had already proven himself on every major ground across the globe, making the fixation with the Home of Cricket somewhat redundant.

'I've always wondered why it's considered so important to score runs at Lord's. Virat has scored runs everywhere in the world. It might be a prestige thing, but if this half-century hadn't come, would his importance in world cricket, or Indian cricket, have diminished? Absolutely not. Whether he scores runs at Lord's or not shouldn't be given that much importance, especially from an Indian fan's perspective. Virat Kohli was a master, and he will remain a master,' Pathan said.

Reading the Chase: How Kohli Shifted Gears

Pathan also drew attention to the tactical intelligence Kohli displayed during the chase, noting how the former India captain recalibrated his game as the required run rate mounted in the closing overs.

'In this game, though, the way he batted stood out. Once he got to around 45, he knew he had to switch gears because of the required run rate. If our bowling at the end had been better, and if his innings had lasted a little longer, things could have been different,' Pathan added.

How the Match Unfolded

Rohit Sharma's commanding 138 had given India's chase a solid foundation, and his partnership with Kohli briefly made the target look attainable. However, England's disciplined death bowling gradually wrested back control, leaving the Indian middle order with an impossible ask in the final overs. The hosts sealed both the match and the ODI series at Lord's.

Broader Context

The debate around Kohli and Lord's has persisted for years among fans and pundits, partly because the venue carries an almost mythological weight in cricket lore. Notably, this is not the first time Kohli has faced scrutiny over his record at the ground — yet his overall numbers across formats and continents remain among the finest in the modern era. Pathan's remarks reflect a growing counter-narrative: that measuring a player of Kohli's calibre against a single venue is reductive. With India now having lost the ODI series 2-1, attention will shift to the squad's preparation for upcoming assignments.