Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) BENGALURU: Since anchoring Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title last season, Virat Kohli has remained in commanding form. He has amassed 821 runs in nine ODIs and two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, with his lowest score since returning from the Australian ducks being 23 against New Zealand in Rajkot.In an era of relentless planning, Kohli has largely operated as a one-format international (ODI). Yet on Saturday night, when I returned to T20 cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time since last season’s final, there was no sign of rust.
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Greenstone Lobo predicts IPL 2026 winnerThe 37-year-old looked in full swing and carried over a touch from his last match – a composed 124 against New Zealand in January – as his unbeaten 69 off 38 balls guided RCB to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was a knock built on controlled aggression, starting with a crisp boundary from Jaydev Unadkat over mid-on and progressing through calculated acceleration.In the post-match press conference, captain Rajat Patidar called him “the number one chaser”.Kohli credited his recent ODI run and preparation for a smooth transition.“The way I batted recently in the One-Day series helped me maintain that pace. I put in a lot of physicality behind the scenes with my fitness. As long as I had the rhythm, things would come together nicely,” said Kohli, RCB’s top run-scorer last season with 657 runs.He also emphasized the importance of breaks in a busy calendar.“With the amount of cricket I’ve played in the last 15 years, I’ve always been in danger of being burnt out rather than undercooked. These breaks help me stay fresh and excited. Whenever I come back, it’s 120%,” said the opener.Fitness remains the basis“As long as you’re physically fit and mentally fired up, things will fall into place and you can contribute to the team.”Despite his status, Kohli emphasized that he has to earn the places.“You don’t want to stay put. You want to keep performing and keep working for the team,” he said after Heinrich Klaasen dropped him at 29 off Harshal Patel.
