India captain Virat Kohli lauded fast bowler Mohammed Shami for his intensity and fitness levels after the pace snared three wickets to set up a comfortable eight-wicket win in the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Shami bowled with good pace and control to get the wickets of openers Martin Guptil and Colin Munro, continuing his good form he showed in Test cricket in 2018. The 28-year-old pacer has been troubled by knee issues over the years but is currently operating at a high level for sustained periods, which was praised by Kohli.

“The belief in his (Shami) own ability and his fitness – this is the fittest I’ve seen him in his career. And his Test form has translated into one-day cricket,” Kohli said after India’s win.

“It was one of our more balanced performances. When I lost the toss, I thought it was going to be 300 par. 150-odd on that wicket was superb,” Kohli said. “The pitch got slow in the second half of the innings but in the first half, the spinners bowled well, cramped the batsmen and they made it difficult despite the dimensions of the field.”

Kohli was also glad opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan remained unbeaten on 75 after going nine matches without a fifty.

“Really important innings for Shikhar. We spoke during the sun break that he needed to finish the game to get some momentum. He is a dangerous player when in rhythm,” Kohli said.