Bengaluru, Mar 30:
All praise for Virat Kohli, former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says the Indian stalwart continues to “walk the talk” with his unmatched energy and intensity despite having retired from Test and T20I formats.
Returning to T20 cricket for the first time since last year’s IPL final on June 3, Kohli showed no signs of rust, smashing his 28th IPL half-century (69 not out off 38 balls) to power defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2026 season-opener.
“He walks the talk,” Ashwin said on a JioHotstar show.
“It’s almost like he’s putting on a show for people to see how the game should be played, play it hard and play it the way it’s meant to be played. That stood out for me with respect to what Virat did.”
Kohli was already in sublime touch coming into the IPL, having scored 93, 23 and 124 in the ODI series against New Zealand in January, where he finished as India’s leading run-getter.
The 37-year-old had also topped the charts in the preceding series against South Africa in December, amassing 302 runs, including two centuries.
Ashwin further cited example of his running between the wickets to show how his energy remains extraordinary despite his age and experience.
“I find him quite bizarre at this age. I tell him this during our chats now and then. He was batting on 40-odd, there was a partnership going on, and RCB were coasting.
“He ran through for the first single, stopped there, and the other batter hadn’t even reached halfway, but he was already looking for a second. That was a 57-metre boundary on the leg side, and it shows the enthusiasm he still brings to the game,” added Ashwin.
Kohli was already in sublime touch coming into the IPL, having scored 93, 23 and 124 in the ODI series against New Zealand in January, where he finished as India’s leading run-getter.
The 37-year-old had also topped the charts in the preceding series against South Africa in December, amassing 302 runs, including two centuries.