Virat Kohli retired from Tests with 9230 runs in 123 games with 30 centuries and average of 46.85.
Kohli made an unbeaten fifty to help RCB chase down a stiff total against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 opening game. He then made an impactful 28 in RCB’s second win in the tournament, against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Ashwin put the spotlight on how well Virat Kohli is batting in T20s, all thanks to being freed from the constraints of batting in a different way in Test cricket. Kohli quit Test cricket in 2025 and now only plays in ODIs for the Indian team.
"Virat was still playing Test cricket in 2024; he was very still, the bat wouldn't move much, but now, here in 2026, the bat is down initially, and later he brings it up, which we call potential energy, or the constant movement of the bat, and he is getting into lovely positions.
In 2024, his head was so still that even the movement of his feet was balanced, because he was still playing Test cricket then; in 2026, since he doesn't play Test cricket anymore, he doesn't have to control his hands as much and is letting them go, going for more shots," Ashwin said while speaking on 'Champions vali Commentary' as a JioStar expert.
Irfan Pathan also shared his inputs on how Kohli had made some technical changes for the IPL tournament.
"Because of that backlift, he is getting that momentum, more power, and that is why the strike rate has gone up. When you are standing still in the prelude, before the bowler bowls, you don't get the momentum that you want to create to go for big shots, but when you bring the bat down, then up again, you already have that momentum," Pathan said.
In two matches for RCB, Kohli has scored a total of 97 runs while being dismissed only once.