Virat Kohli credits time away from game for staying 'excited' and playing at '120%'

Virat Kohli was at the peak of his powers as RCB humbled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in their title defence opener on Saturday. It was quite an overwhelming experience for the RCB players as they returned to their hallowed turf at the M Chinnaswamy almost a year after the tragic stampede that claimed the lives of 11 RCB fans.

Virat made a point to make it special by producing a typical chase master knock, scoring an unbeaten 69 off 38 deliveries, laced with five fours and as many sixes at a thumping strike rate of 181.57. Virat led the chase as RCB made a mockery of their 202-run target, getting over the line with 26 balls to spare, thereby registering the fastest 200+ chase in the history of the cash-rich league.

This was Virat's first-ever T20 game following RCB's narrow win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final of IPL 2025. He credited the time away from the game for feeling "excited", "fresh", and to come back and play at "120%".

"Well, you know, the kind of scheduling that we've had over the last 15 years, and the amount of cricket I've played, for me, there was always a risk of getting burnt out rather than being undercooked," Kohli said after the run chase. "So these breaks helped me immensely. I stay fresh, I stay excited. Whenever I come back to play, it's 120%. I'm not coming back, you know, underprepared.

"In fact, the extra rest helps me to mentally freshen up. And as long as you're physically fit and you're excited mentally, both those things come together nicely. And then you're able to, you know, contribute for the team's cause. And that's what you want to do as a player. You don't want to hold on to a spot. You want to keep performing, and, you know, keep putting in the work for the team."

The former RCB captain underlined the hours spent behind the scenes as something that helped him find his stride and fluency in the campaign opener.

"I wasn't playing, you know, shots that I don't usually play," he said of his knock against SRH. "So I knew as long as I have the rhythm, and I've put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness, things should come together nicely. And yeah, tonight was another chance to start strong and to build on this."