Kohli spoke on women’s cricket, leadership and the evolution of the game in the latest episode of the RCB Podcast
Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli reflected on women’s cricket, leadership, longevity and the emotions behind RCB’s title triumph on a recent episode of the RCB podcast.
Speaking on the growth of women’s cricket following the WPL, Kohli praised Smriti Mandhana’s WPL Final knock and Jemimah Rodrigues’ innings in India’s Women’s World Cup semi-final chase against Australia.
“There’s no doubt that Smriti has always had this very unique talent. She’s a very gifted and natural timer of the ball, which is amazing to watch. It was amazing to watch her perform like that in the final,” Kohli said.
“I was proud of Jemmy, because of what she had gone through in the tournament. It felt like a meant-to-be moment for her. She looked completely zoned out, in her own world, just watching the ball. It didn’t feel like she was bothered about the record chase, the world champions or the strongest team out there. It showed amazing mental strength and resilience,” he added.
Speaking about where he currently stands in his cricketing journey, Kohli shared that his motivation today goes beyond records and achievements.
“I’m in a phase of my life, career, where I’m just doing things which are purposeful. Even playing cricket, you get to a stage which goes beyond numbers and achievements and all those kind of things. It’s not fulfilling you in a way that is organic, which is in flow with the love of the game. So now I’m at a stage where I feel like the purpose is the impact you can leave on people,” said Kohli.
Kohli also revisited the emotions of finally winning the IPL title with RCB after nearly two decades.
“For that pressure to build over so many years, season after season, and for it to happen after 18 years, there couldn’t have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey. All those emotions and feelings came out in a form of just being on my knees and saying thank you that I could experience this before I stopped playing,” he said.
He also reflected on the bond the franchises shares with formers players like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.
“AB became this icon in India after he started playing for us. The way the fans embraced him and what he did for the team was beyond words. Chris also has a very soft spot for RCB in his heart. Our franchise, our city and our fans have always been about impacting people in a very natural way,” Kohli said.
Discussing the evolution of T20 cricket, Kohli acknowledged the rise of fearless young cricketers while emphasizing the continued importance of technical foundations and adaptability.
“The talent is through the roof. The youngsters are growing up on powerful, explosive cricket and their ability to clear the boundary and hit aggressive shots is phenomenal. But the game is still played between 22 yards. You need technique, you need balance, you need some kind of symmetry to play this game,” he said.
Citing Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s incredible season as an example of strong foundations, Kohli added, “He’s setting Test match fields and bowling at a length that tells batters, ‘I’m good enough to hit this spot every single time.’ It’s simple stuff — repetition, execution and uncomplicated consistency backed with tremendous belief. That’s all he’s doing, and look at the results,”
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