IPL 2025: Kohli Emphasizes Adapting to Match Situations for T20 Success

Synopsis

Virat Kohli, the Indian batting legend, emphasizes the importance of letting go of ego and adapting to match situations as crucial to his success in T20 cricket. With insights from his journey, he highlights the unique challenges posed by the IPL and how it has shaped his game over the years.

Key Takeaways

Kohli stresses the importance of adapting to match scenarios.
He is the first Indian to exceed 13,000 runs in T20.
His IPL journey began to flourish in 2010-2011.
Kohli holds the record for the most runs and centuries in IPL history.
He believes the IPL has refined his skill set significantly.

New Delhi, April 9 (NationPress) Indian batting icon Virat Kohli stated that letting go of ego and adjusting to the requirements of match situations has been fundamental to his prosperous journey in the shortest format of cricket.

Kohli, who has recently become the first Indian to surpass 13,000 runs in T20 cricket, shared valuable insights into his approach and development over the years.

“It’s never been about ego. It was never about trying to overshadow anyone,” remarked the star player of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during an interview with JioHotstar. “It’s always been about grasping the game situation — and that’s something I’ve consistently taken pride in. I aim to play based on what the situation necessitates.”

The 36-year-old veteran holds the record for the highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history with 8168 runs from 256 matches, which includes eight centuries — a record for any player in the tournament. Kohli highlighted that his capacity to either step up or step back, depending on his teammates’ momentum, has been pivotal in his growth.

“If I was in rhythm, in the flow of the game, I naturally took the initiative. If someone else was better positioned to lead, they would take it,” he explained.

Kohli traced the pivotal moment of his IPL career back to 2010 and 2011, when he started receiving consistent chances at the top of the batting order. “In my initial three years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, I didn’t get many opportunities to bat at the top. I was usually sent lower down the order. Thus, I couldn’t really make a significant impact in the IPL. However, from 2010 onwards, I began to perform more consistently, and by 2011, I was regularly batting at number three. That’s when my IPL journey truly began to evolve,” he reflected.

Looking back on his 18-year-long journey with the format, Kohli acknowledged how the IPL has been instrumental in honing his skills.

“The IPL presents challenges in a remarkably unique way due to its structure. Unlike a brief bilateral series, it lasts several weeks, and your position on the points table is always in flux,” he explained. “This ever-changing scenario induces various forms of pressure. The dynamic nature of the tournament compels you to improve mentally and competitively in ways that other formats do not. It has also motivated me to continuously enhance my T20 skill set.”