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Ashwin lifts the lid on Virat Kohli’s resurgence and rediscovered joy: 'He is batting with freedom of his childhood'
Ashwin highlighted Virat Kohli’s calm mindset, saying his recent success stems not from technical changes but from clarity and ease in his approach.
Virat Kohli continues to set the benchmark in ODIs, with absolutely no signs of slowing down. His run of form echoes his best years, when scoring heavily was routine, and each innings reinforced his reputation for consistency and control. The batting maestro remains exclusive for ODIs in international cricket, and his current form suggests that he will give his all to give another shot at the next year's ODI World Cup. Kohli once again mastered India's 300-run plus chase in the first ODI against New Zealand where he missed out on his century but his 93-run knock was enough to take India over the line and take 1-0 lead in theree-match series. He registered his fifth 60-plus score in his last five ODI innings, including two hundreds, which he smashed against South Africa in the last series.
Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin pointed to Kohli’s calm, uncluttered mindset, suggesting that his recent success has come not from technical tweaks but from the clarity and ease with which he is approaching his game.
“It looks like nothing is going on in his mind. You asked me what he has changed — he hasn’t changed anything; he is just not thinking about anything,” Ashwin said on his YouTube show.
Ashwin described Kohli’s resurgence as a result of rediscovering joy in his batting, noting how a relaxed mindset, blended with years of experience, has allowed him to play with freedom and confidence again.
“He made a decision that he just wants to enjoy his cricket. It seems like he is batting with the freedom of his childhood, combined with the experience of so many years.
“When you take joy from the game, and when you are in the right space in your life, you can play like this,” he added.
Virat Kohli surpasses Kumar Sangakkara
Meanwhile, his match-winning 93 in the opening ODI saw him add another milestone to his storied career. Kohli overtook Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to climb to second on the list of highest run-scorers in international cricket, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (34,357). Since making his ODI debut in Sri Lanka in 2008, the top-order batter has amassed 28,068 runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
