'Find him quite bizarre at this age': Former Indian bowler unique take on Virat Kohli

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their Indian Premier League 2026 season on a strong note, registering a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Much of the conversation after the match revolved around Virat Kohli’s intensity and Jacob Duffy’s effectiveness with the ball. Speaking after the game, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Kohli’s remarkable batting, highlighting that his energy remains exceptional even when the situation appears under control. He added that such moments reflect Kohli’s passion and commitment, setting an example of maintaining intensity at all times.

“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," said Ravichandran Ashwin.

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Ashwin also highlighted Duffy’s impact with the ball, praising his skill and game awareness for restricting the opposition on a typically high-scoring pitch.

“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," he added.