Cheteshwar Pujara has lavished huge praise on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli for always upgrading his game and managing to keep improving with each passing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Even in the latest IPL 2025 season, the right-hand batter scored 657 runs in 15 games and ended up being third on the list of the Orange Cap Holders. However, what impressed most about Kohli scoring those huge runs was a terrific strike of above 140. Pujara says the RCB star has worked on his strike rate, as in the initial years of IPL, he struck at below 140.
Pujara feels it is not easy for a sportsman to play consistently at the top for such a long time without maintaining top fitness. India's number three lauded RCB batter for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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“It’s not easy, but the good part about Virat is that he is one of the fittest cricketers, and he is open to adapting to a new challenge or something different. He is always open to learning new things,” Pujara said, speaking on Star Sports, pointing to Kohli’s ability to evolve over the years.
“People have been criticizing him in the past that he wasn’t batting at a strike rate of 140-150. Now, if you look at his batting this season, he has answered that question. He has batted at a strike rate of 140-150 and above. So he has evolved as a batter,” he added.
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“It doesn’t come naturally. You need to work on it, and even to work on it at this age, when he is 36 and has played the game for such a long time if you are still willing to learn and make a difference to the team, that shows how big a player he is,” Pujara observed.
Virat Kohli finally lays hands on the IPL trophy, as RCB ends 18 years wait
The IPL trophy was the only one missing from Virat Kohli's trophies collection. However, it changed on June 03, as RCB beat PBKS by six runs on June 03 in Ahmedabad. Kohli top-scored with bat in hand, scoring 43 runs, as RCB ended up posting 190 runs. PBKS could not hunt the target down, as all-rounder Krunal Pandya bowled a terrific spell, picking two wickets for just 17 runs. He was also named player of the match for his efforts.
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Pandya, thus became the only player, to win two Player of the Match awards in two IPL finals. The southpaw first won it in 2017 for MI against RPSG. The all-rounder's superb spell helped fulfill Kohli's dream of lifting the IPL trophy, which he had previously come close to achieving on three occasions.
