Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody said Virat Kohli’s knock in the PBKS vs RCB was “remarkable” and what he is doing at this age is unbelievable.
Guessing Virat Kohli’s age by merely watching him bat or running around in the field is a near-impossible task. The former India captain will turn 36 in November this year, but he will likely put a 21-year-old top-level cricketer to shame by his fitness standards. In fact, Kohli’s own 21-year-old version may be unable to cope with his current self. He is that energetic, agile and swift. There is no sign of fatigue when he bats for long hours. He tries to convert the ones into twos and the twos into threes within the same intensity, even after crossing a century.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli(AFP)
In the field, he is comfortable in catching positions and equally effective (if not more) in the outfield. Take the example of the incredible run out he inflicted to send back Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh. He ran in from the deep, picked the ball one-handed, threw off balance and yet knocked the stumps down to catch the PBKS batter short of his crease.
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Earlier, he became the first batter to cross the 600-run mark in IPL 2024 that too at a strike rate of 152. He smashed seven fours and six sixes to end up with 92 off just 47 balls to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru post a massive 241/7 in Dharamsala. The total proved 60 runs too many for PBKS who folded for 181.
Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody said Kohli’s knock was “remarkable.”
“It’s quite remarkable, especially considering he’s not the same as the vintage Virat Kohli, but he’s also not 21 anymore; he’s 30 (35). So, that’s brilliant what he’s done there,” Moody said on ‘Star Sports Cricket Live’.
“Running in from the deep, throwing himself to the ground, and managing to make the throw from that position is no easy feat. That’s something we’ve definitely taken into consideration. It’s truly extraordinary,” he said.
The knock took Kohli’s season total to 634 at an average of 70.44 from 12 matches with Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad at a distant second (541 from 11 matches) in the Orange Cap list.
Emphasising his agility and contribution with the bat despite his age, Moody said: “He’s not just a fielder; he’s also contributed with the bat, scoring 92 runs and spending considerable time out in the middle.
“Despite the physical exertion, he’s always running around in the field like no one else. In the middle of the innings of that second innings he still managed to display the focus, enthusiasm, fitness, and agility required to execute a run-out like that.”The expert commentator further noted that while Kohli may not train as intensely as before, he still focuses on improving his performance through training.
In the post-match interaction, the player-of-the-match revealed that he has brought out the slog-sweep option to counter spin.
“From what we took from his post match interview, you can see how has learnt how to manage how he prepares for a competition now,” Moody said.
