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Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised the energy that Indian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli provides to his batting. Ashwin described Kohli`s strategy as “bizarre at this age” in a positive way, praising his energy and commitment at the crease.
Ashwin highlighted Kohli`s eagerness to take quick singles and attack even during comfortable partnerships, noting his ability to “walk the talk” and set an example of playing the game hard and the right way.
“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. He walks the talk. 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 to me with respect to what Virat did. And if this is the way RCB are going to bat, Virat just needs to bat the full 20 overs,” Ashwin said on JioHotstar.
Playing his first T20 since the IPL 2025 final, Kohli starred with the bat and guided RCB to their first win of the season.
RCB chase 202 to win the IPL 2026 opener
Phil Salt hit two boundaries in the first over to start RCB`s chase, but he was dismissed for eight runs in the very next over. Kohli scored 69 off 38 balls, with five fours and five sixes in his innings, guiding RCB to a win on the season opener.
Kohli looked in fine touch from the first ball. The former Indian became the first batter in IPL history to score more than 4,000 runs in chases.
Kohli also surpassed former Pakistan batter Shoaib Malik to become the sixth-highest run-getter in T20 cricket. Malik has made 13571 runs in T20 557 matches and 515 innings. The former cricketer had an average of 35.99, including 83 half-centuries in the shortest format.
(With ANI Input)
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