WATCH- ‘Every cricketer has ups and downs; doesn’t have a higher graph always unless you are Virat Kohli’- Rishabh Pant

Virat Kohli became only the second batter in ODIs to achieve 15,000 runs.

India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has lavished rich praise on Virat Kohli and called him one of the most consistent performers in cricket in recent times. He stated that while every cricketer has ups and downs in their career, Kohli’s graph has always been on an upward trajectory.

Virat Kohli proved his mastery in the ODI format, as he struck 139* against the West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram. His unbeaten ton and Shubman Gill’s 110 helped India chase down the 296-run target in 41.4 overs and win the game by 8 wickets.

When asked about the pressure created by the Indian cricket fan base, Rishabh Pant responded that every cricket player must experience ups and downs in his life. He also cited Virat Kohli, who has been at the peak of his career thus far.

"You know, when you're a young kid, everyone likes you. Suddenly, after two or three years, you know, as an athlete, the graph is always up and down. It just doesn't go like this until you are Virat Kohli. Yeah, you know, and he's been exceptional throughout his career,” Pant said on Business of Sport.

He was further asked about what makes Virat Kohli special. Despite the pressure of all the fame and noise from outside, Pant responded that Virat does not have the choice not to focus on the outside things, as everything he does is questioned, but despite all this, Kohli managing to perform at his peak is what sets him apart.

"I think you don't have a choice. I would say, like, if you start focusing on what's happening outside, you tend to forget you have to. You know, because everything you do in your life will be questioned and will be challenged. Rather than it being a sports thing, it can be a personal thing, but every decision you are making is being challenged, in a good way or in a bad way.

But at the same time, you know, you're still dealing with it every day, and the bigger you become, the pressure is going to mount. And he's someone who's been at the pinnacle, what I've seen in my career, because I've seen him for the last, you know, playing with him for the last eight years of international cricket,” Pant added.  

Kohli has been in exceptional form and is the second-highest run-getter in ODIs for India in 2026. So far, he has amassed 523 runs from 7 matches and has scored 2 centuries, 3 fifties, and an excellent average of 87.16.

He has reached the landmark of scoring 15,000 runs in ODIs and has also emerged as the fastest one to do so in 303 innings.