I tell Kohli during our chats that I find him quite bizarre at his age, says Ravichandran Ashwin

Veteran star Virat Kohli continues to amaze one and all. The star batter once again anchored defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) run chase in the IPL 2026 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday night.

RCB posted a comfortable six-wicket win to begin their campaign with a bang and Kohli was there to set off the celebrations. Kohli brings an extra-dose of energy to his batting which is quite infectious.

https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2037937773941076006?s=20

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been Kohli’s teammate for several years, said the batter’s enthusiasm even at this age is quite bizzare.

Kohli walks the talk: Ashwin

“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,” Ashwin said on JioHotstar’s Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live.

Kohli and Padikkal get RCB off to a flying start in IPL 2026 with a six-wicket win over SRH

Ashwin also singled out New Zealander Jacob Duffy for the impact he made early on in the SRH innings.  “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.

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, says Ashwin. Pic: BCCI/IPL

“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,” Ashwin said.

https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2038066109312889322?s=20

MI have the batting depth: Ashwin

Ashwin said Mumbai Indians have the depth that could unsettle Kolkata Knight Riders. “I think Mumbai have gone back to their opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock that won them a title. It’s a star-studded side, and one of the most exciting things I’m looking forward to is how Tilak Varma expands his credentials through this IPL. This time, I’m going with Mumbai Indians. It’s a purely cricketing call. There is too much depth in that side, while KKR have a few injury concerns and the team looks a little unsettled. They will need their spinners to step up, and I don’t quite see that happening,” he said.

https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2037940973414838594?s=20

Kishan doesn’t have the bowling resources: Pathan

Another former India cricketer Irfan Pathan said Ishan Kishan’s biggest challenge is to marshall his meagre bowling resources. “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,” Pathan said.