“According to me, he is still the same” - Yuzvendra Chahal disagrees with observation that Virat Kohli has changed with time

Team India leg-spinner and former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal disagrees with the observation that Virat Kohli has changed with time. According to Chahal, Kohli is still aggressive on the field. He added that the star cricketer was always a calm character off the field.

Some experts and cricket fans reckon that Kohli has become much calmer as a cricketer and person in recent times. The man himself has admitted that he is more at peace with himself, having gone through a rough patch during which he struggled to score too many runs.

In an interview on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel, Chahal said that he does not find much difference between the old and new Kohli.

He opined:

“According to me, he is still the same. On the field, he is still the same. Off the field, he was always calm. On the field, if I know that aggression is helping me, I will do it. He doesn’t harm anyone. Look at Australia under Ricky Ponting, they dominated and kept the opposition under the pump. Now, we give it back. They know that if they sledge [India], they will get it back.”

The 32-year-old credited Kohli for backing him at the start of his stint for RCB when the latter was the skipper of the franchise.

Chahal recalled:

“I played in the very first match of the 2014 season and Virat bhai helped me a lot. There were big names like Muttiah Muralitharan and Shadab Jakati, but I still played the first game. The kind of confidence that Virat bhai showed in me, I got a wicket with the first ball and got the Man of the Match as well. That gave my confidence a boost.”

The leg-spinner went on to become the leading wicket-taker for RCB in the IPL. In 113 matches for the franchise from 2014 to 2022, he claimed 139 scalps at an average of 22.03.

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“Our team in 2016 was the best one” - Chahal on RCB’s inability to win IPL

During the discussion, Chahal also opened up on RCB’s inability to win the IPL despite some of the biggest names in the game representing the franchise over the years.

Admitting that it has been perplexing, the leggie said:

“It’s a good question. I tried to find the answer for eight years, but the hunt for the answer continues.”

He went on to describe the team in 2016, which finished runners-up as the best squad they have had to date.

The former RCB bowler opined:

“Our team in 2016 was the best one. We had Chris Gayle, KL [Rahul] as well. Unfortunately, we lost the final. I felt very bad because we had to win six out of seven matches. We did that. Then in the Qualifier against Delhi, we would have been out if he had lost. We won that game as well. It was a roller-coaster season. We played the final at Chinnaswamy, which we lost by eight runs.”

Set to chase 209 in the IPL 2023 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB finished on 200/7.