The knock at a strike-rate of over 157 created another record as Kohli became the second-oldest batter to score a century at 150-plus strike-rate at the age of 37 years. But the approach to Kohli’s batting seems to have a marked change since India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 last year in Dubai.
Virat Kohli’s golden run since 2025
Since then, Kohli has retired from Test cricket after already walking away from T20I cricket in 2024. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru is only playing in one format of the game and intends to be part of Indian side in ODI World Cup 2027.
Apart from back-to-back duck against Australia down under last year, Kohli has scored 899 runs in 11 matches at an average of 112.37 and a strike rate of 114.23, with four centuries and five fifties. His best score is 139 not out, notched up on Sunday.
Since the Champions Trophy 2025, among players with 500-plus ODI runs (with a minimum of 10 innings), no other player has scored at a strike-rate higher than Kohli’s 112.51. While talking about ODI averages, only New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell with 975 runs in 13 innings at an average of 90.7 averages higher than Kohli.
In these 11 matches, Kohli has also smashed 28 sixes, the second-most by a batter after Champions Trophy in ODIs among Test-playing nations, with Harry Brook (30 sixes in 18 innings) having the top spot. Among Indian batters, Rohit Sharma (26 sixes) is close second and has taken three more innings than Kohli.
“What has changed is, firstly, I promised myself that I am going to play more freely. I am not going to worry about the expectations that people might have around me. My role had always been, for a long period of time, that I’m going to stabilise things,” Kohli told broadcasters JioStar.
Kohli admitted he always had the ability to play attacking shots, but the situation of the game often required him to take a more cautious approach.
“I know I can play, I know I can hit shots. But the demands are such that if it’s a tricky situation and you’re playing on a tricky pitch, you eventually get into a space where you’re like, I can hit, but I’ve been given a role,” Kohli added.
Virat Kohli’s six-hitting streak
Since last year, Kohli has recorded two instances of more than five sixes in an ODI innings, nine against WI at Thiruvananthapuram and seven sixes in his 135-run knock against South Africa last year (third-most sixes by Kohli in an innings). Only England skipper Harry Brook (11 sixes in a 135-run knock against New Zealand in October last year and nine sixes against Sri Lanka during his 66-ball 136 not out earlier this year) have managed to surpass Kohli.
“This time, I am making a conscious effort that if I’m set to make a difference in the game, where you can get 30-40 extra runs, I want to stay in a space where, if I’m choosing not to take a risk, it’s because I’m setting up eventually to get to a point where I say, okay, now press the accelerator down,” the RCB batter added.
Kohli also highlighted how the changing nature of ODI cricket has encouraged teams to aim for bigger totals. “Now, the game is changing in a way that, especially if the conditions are fast-paced and good, and other teams are looking to push you towards 340-350, we should be able to get 350-360 as well. I am very willing to take risks now because I know that if I make runs there, we’ll get 350-360 easily. And if I do that and play longer, then I can hit more at the end,” the 37-year-old said.