At 37, Virat Kohli seems to have unlocked a new version of himself in ODI cricket. Since 2025, Kohli has been scoring runs at a serious pace against the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, England, and the West Indies.

He has scored 1203 runs in 22 ODIs in 2025 and till now in 2026, hitting five centuries and 7 fifties at an average of 67. During this time, Kohli also became the second batter to cross 15,000 ODI runs and reached 55 centuries.

The legendary South African player and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate of Kohli, AB de Villiers, thought that this is the best version of him because of his current form. According to De Villiers, Kohli is doing even better than he was in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Many people believe that Kohli peaked between 2015 and 2019, with his incredible 973-run IPL 2016 season making 2016 one of the most memorable years in fans' recollections. He was named ICC Cricketer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.

"I believe this version is better than the 2016-17 version because he appears much more relaxed. And out there in the middle, you can almost see he's completely free. He showed signs of that at the last ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE. I started seeing him play a different role, and then he got stuck a little bit again, going back to old habits, and then just sort of let go completely again," AB de Villiers said to India Today.

The South African batting legend further elaborated on how Kohli is performing at such a high level at the age of 37.

"He realizes that all he can do is just go out there and express his talents and let the fans and the people around the world enjoy that for one last time, or for the next two years or three or five years. I don't know how long.

I love seeing this side of him. And I think it must be an incredible experience to share a dressing room with him as a youngster now. I think they are learning from him more than ever, being in this state of mind," de Villiers explained.

In 2026, Kohli is the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs, with 552 runs in just nine innings, at an average of 69 and a strike rate of nearly 118. He has scored two centuries and three fifties and is likely to score more when he plays five ODIs against New Zealand.