Bengaluru, March 29 (IANS) Former India off-spin great Ravichandran Ashwin has reserved special praise for the energy Virat Kohli brought to his batting, saying he “finds him quite bizarre at this age” after the 37-year-old enthralled the home crowd with an unbeaten 69 balls in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kohli, returning to playing T20 cricket after ten months, scored an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, laced with five fours and five sixes as RCB launched their campaign in commanding fashion, chasing down a stiff target of 202 to defeat SRH by six wickets with 26 balls to spare.

“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,” Ashwins said on JioStar.

Chasing 202, RCB approached the task with intent. While Phil Salt fell early, Devdutt Padikkal took control of the innings with a fearless approach. At the other end, Kohli played the perfect foil, allowing Padikkal to dictate terms as the duo added a blistering 101 runs in just 45 balls.

After Padikkal’s dismissal, Kohli found another able partner in skipper Rajat Patidar, scored a quickfire 31 off 12 balls; combined with Kohli’s controlled aggression, resulted in a rapid 53-run stand off only 22 deliveries, effectively sealing the contest. After Patidar was sent packing, Kohli brought up a composed half-century and anchored the remainder of the chase with authority.

“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 added.

–IANS

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