Virat Kohli’s intensity stuns THIS star India cricketer, says, ‘I find him quite bizarre…’

Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauds Virat Kohli’s energy and passion, highlighting his intensity, aggressive batting, and inspiring example for how cricket should be played.

IPL 2026, Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB vs SRH, MI, MI vs KKR, Mumbai Indians, Chinnaswamy Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jacob Duffy, RCB, R Ashwin, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, — Virat Kohli’s intensity stuns THIS star India cricketer (Source: IANS)

IPL 2026: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign on a high with a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. On JioHotstar’s “Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, experts Ravichandran Ashwin and Irfan Pathan reflected on Virat Kohli’s fierce intensity during RCB’s run chase, the challenges SRH captain Ishan Kishan faced, and the game-changing impact of Jacob Duffy’s bowling for RCB.

Star India cricketer Irfan Pathan shared his insights on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s strategy and the challenges Ishan Kishan is likely to face as captain.

“Ishan Kishan mentioned after the game that they would have to look at their approach, especially at the start. If you lose regular wickets, you have to play with more responsibility, which didn’t happen. They lost three early wickets, and once that happens, it becomes very difficult to push beyond 200. They eventually scored 200, but it wasn’t enough on this pitch. It was a mix of not getting a good start and the bowling not being up to the mark.”

“Kishan was under pressure, and it’s never easy when you are leading a side in the IPL for the first time. He doesn’t have the kind of bowling resources. Managing the Powerplay was difficult, and that is an area they will need to improve.”

Add India.com as a Preferred Source

Ashwin praised Virat Kohli’s energy and passion

Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Virat Kohli’s energy and passion, saying even at his age he plays with intensity, runs hard between the wickets, hits big shots, and sets an example for how the game should be played.

“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 for 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.”

R Ashwin praised RCB’s Jacob Duffy as an excellent pick

Ravichandran Ashwin praised Jacob Duffy as an excellent pick for RCB, highlighting his ability to swing the ball both ways and execute plans smartly.

“When Jacob Duffy was picked at the auction, I was probably the first one to say it was an amazing pick to replace Josh Hazlewood. At that time, he was the No.1 T20 bowler. He had also taken a six-wicket haul in a Test match and is right in the prime of his career. He has bowled a lot in New Zealand and knows exactly what he is doing. What really stood out is that he can swing the ball both ways, but he didn’t try to do that against Abhishek Sharma.”

“The first time he bowled full to Travis Head, he got pumped down the ground, a good lesson learned. After that, he stayed away from that length and bowled very good areas. Tactically, RCB were superior and he executed those plans beautifully. He was probably the reason the scoring was kept in check. With around 400 runs in the day, it was still a low-scoring game by Chinnaswamy standards.”

Source link

The Times Of Bengal