Just a gut feeling: Virat’s new avatar is better than Kohli’s 2016 peak, says AB de Villiers
Right after the recent Thiruvananthapuram ODI against West Indies, Virat Kohli said that he has put on a new glove where he can still take his game to a new level.
“At this stage of my career, I’m challenged to up the ante a bit and play a notch or two higher,” Kohli said.
For the fans who saw the destruction he caused that nightit will be music to their ears. On his way to surpassing 15,000 ODI runs, the Indian star dismantled the Windies bowling with ease. He hit 10 fours and nine sixes on his way to scoring 139 off just 88 balls.
This showed a significant change in approach for Kohli who now plays only one format internationally and the IPL. It was not evident last year after he announced his Test retirement as he had two ducks in Australia and saved the series with a fifty.
But something clicked during the South Africa series and change was in full force. From the start of the three matches against the Proteas, Kohli has amassed 854 runs from his 12 ODI innings at a strike rate of 117.63. His unbeaten 139 in the opening ODI against West Indies in Trivandrum was the latest standout performance in a remarkable run of form.
In fact, Kohli amassed 825 runs in his last 10 innings alone. This result ranks it among the most prolific 10-innings stretches in ODI history, with only six such sequences producing more runs. Notably, two of these six belong to Kohli himself, which came during his sensational runs in 2012 and 2018.
So is this version of Kohli better than his prime? Well, AB de Villiers believes it is.
‘RELEASED AND TOTALLY FREE’
Speaking to Sports Today in an exclusive chat, De Villiers said that the current avatar is a better version as Kohli seems relaxed and completely free.
The South African legend said he will show glimpses of the current version during Champions Trophy 2025, but felt the Indian star was stuck and back to old habits.
“Yeah, that’s a good question. It’s hard to say. I think it’s a better version because he’s so relaxed. And there in the middle you can almost see he’s completely free,” De Villiers said.
“He showed signs of it at the last ICC Champions Trophy in the United Arab Emirates. I started to see him play a different role and then he kind of got stuck again, went back to his old ways and then kind of let it go again.”
MORE TO COME FROM KOHLI
The period from 2016 to 2018 is considered to be the peak period in Kohli’s career, with the number of knocks approaching 100 and amassing a total of 3401 runs from 66 matches. During this time, Kohli hit a total of 43 sixes.
Compare that to his current year and you’ll see the difference. His strike-rate is 117.94, the highest he has had in his career so far, and he has hit 17 sixes.
However, De Villiers feels fans are only seeing a glimpse of Kohli’s dangerous side. One he has known for a long time.
“But that’s the way I love Virat. And I’ve always said in interviews that there’s a side of him that people don’t know. And I think we’re seeing that side now more than ever, where he’s just completely focused almost on other people.”
“And he realizes that all he can do is go out and express his talent and let the fans and people around the world enjoy it for the last time, or for another two years, three or five years. I don’t know how long,” De Villiers said.
“But I love seeing him from that side. And I think it must be an incredible experience to share a locker room with him as a little kid. I think they learn more from him than ever when they’re in that state of mind.”
NO THOUGHT, JUST INSTINCT
De Villiers feels Kohli doesn’t overplay the game now and goes with his instincts more than ever, making him unstoppable.
“But yeah, I think because he’s so free, he makes smarter decisions out there. He’s not as intense, he doesn’t think about the game. He seems to have a lot of gut feel and generally the feeling is right. Your instincts prevail and he’s been playing this game his whole life.”
“So when Virat plays with his instinct, he’s basically unstoppable. So, well, it’s quite scary to think where it’s going to go and how good and how big of an impact he’s going to have on India’s 2027 World Cup team,” De Villiers said.
Kohli finds himself in the top four for most runs in ODIs this year with 552 from nine matches and the new version looks set to stay. If De Villiers is true and there is more to come from Kohli, fans of the Indian team will be eager to see him back in action, which will now happen in New Zealand.
– The end