‘It’s weird at this age’: R Ashwin in awe of Virat Kohli’s relentless efforts

New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin gave high praise Virat KohliCalling his energy levels “weird” for his age, while insisting the India stalwart continues to “walk the talk” even after withdrawing from Tests and T20Is.Kohli returned to T20 cricket in style, scoring an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener.

Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Ashwin was particularly impressed with Kohli’s attack and intensity at the crease. “He walks the talk,” Ashwin said on JioHotstar show, highlighting how the veteran continues to set benchmarks.“It’s almost like he’s putting on a show for people to see how the game should be played – play it hard, play it the way it’s supposed to be played,” he added.Kohli’s knock comes after a stellar performance in ODIs, having already shown fine form against New Zealand and South Africa earlier this year, underlining his consistency across formats.“It’s weird at this age”However, what stood out most for Ashwin was Kohli’s unparalleled intensity between the wickets. “I think he’s weird at his age. I told him that during the chat,” he revealed.Recalling a moment in the match, Ashwin said: “He was batting in the 40s and RCB was sliding and he ran for a single. He stopped and before the other batsman reached half-way, he was already looking for his second bat.”He added that Kohli’s eagerness to score extra runs even with shorter boundaries reflected his enduring hunger. “It shows that he still has passion for the game,” Ashwin pointed out.Support Tamiflu’s ImpactAshwin also praised Jacob Duffy Kudos to him for his game-deciding spells and praise him for setting the tone with the ball.“When Duffy was selected, I said it was a fantastic selection. He is in the prime of his career,” Ashwin said, adding that the pacer adapted smartly after early setbacks.“Tactically, RCB was superior and he executed the plans perfectly,” he commented.However, the spotlight remains on Kohli – whose relentless work continues to defy age and expectations, according to Ashwin.