Why 38-year-old Virat Kohli became more fearless, expressive and attacking after retiring from Test cricket

Virat Kohli has unlocked a new level since retiring from Test cricket, embracing freedom, taking more risks and becoming more fearless and attacking.

Virat Kohli is 38, and yet his body language reflects something else altogether. At a stage when cricketers tend to take it easy, or perhaps even call it a day, Kohli continues to train hard, be ruthless and breathe fire. His intensity hasn’t dropped an ounce since he became the personification of aggression. The only time his batting appeared to be in trouble was around the beginning of 2022, when his form was scratchy and he was dealing with the fallout of being removed as India’s captain. Once he moved past that phase, Kohli roared back, and how. He ended his century drought, played that once-in-a-lifetime knock against Pakistan at the MCG, top-scored in the 2023 World Cup and climbed to the summit of ODI cricket. Few have dominated white-ball cricket quite like Kohli.

Virat Kohli has been in unstoppable form lately (ANI)

And yet, the current version of Kohli appears to be the most ferocious of them all. Since retiring from Test cricket and taking a six-month break, Kohli has been scoring with remarkable consistency. In his last 10 innings, he has racked up 760 runs, including three centuries and five fifties. This is perhaps Kohli 3.0: more fearless, expressive and attacking. For years, Kohli was India’s chasemaster, entrusted with the responsibility of batting through the innings. But with a freer mindset and a rejuvenated approach, Kohli is in no mood to slow down.

What prompted the change?

“What’s changed is, firstly, I promised myself that I'm going to play more freely. I'm 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 said while speaking to Star Sports, the quotes of which were shared by PTI, ahead of the three-ODI series against West Indies starting Sunday.

“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 are 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. 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.”

Kohli evolving with the game

Throughout his 19-year India career, Kohli has made it a habit to stay in tune with the fast-evolving nature of the game. When he realised India could no longer afford to be just good in the field, the Yo-Yo Test became a selection criterion. He led from the front, be it in fitness, batting or fielding, to set high standards. And now, as the game becomes increasingly batting-heavy, with more runs being scored and bigger totals being set, Kohli understands what he needs to do to be in touch.

"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'm 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."

"I had to unlock a little bit of that freedom in my own mind. That's also helped me in the IPL as well. I was able to play with that same freedom because I'm not thinking that if I get out, the situation might get difficult for us. I have faith in the fact that there are other players around me who are very good and who will be able to handle the situation. I need to express myself fully and find a way to be consistent doing that. That's exciting as well at this stage of my career."