"It's a very natural thing to take place" - Virat Kohli opens up on bond with Rohit Sharma ahead of MI vs RCB IPL 2025 match

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli has opened up about his bond with Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma ahead of their upcoming clash in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). The two teams are set to meet in the 20th match of the season on Monday, April 7, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Ahead of the game, RCB’s official X account shared a clip on Sunday, where Kohli spoke about his strong bond with Rohit. The 36-year-old reflected on the many years they’ve enjoyed playing together for India and emphasized how they’ve always been able to rely on each other. Kohli said:

“I think it's a very natural thing to take place when you play with someone for so long, sharing so many insights about the game. Initially, you're learning from each other, growing in your careers probably at the same time, and sharing all kinds of questions and queries. There's a lot of back-and-forth that happens. Also, the fact that we've worked very closely in terms of the leadership for the team, so there were always ideas being discussed, and more or less, we ended up on the same page about the gut feeling of a particular situation in a game.”

“There’s a trust factor that builds, where you rely on each other to do the job for the team. We've definitely enjoyed our time playing together for so long for India. We were able to make our careers that long because when we were young, it wasn't certain we would end up playing for 15 years. The journey has been long and consistent, and yes, very grateful and happy for all the memories and moments we've shared and continue to do so,” he added.

Meanwhile, RCB currently sit in second place on the points table with four points from three matches, while MI are in eighth place with two points from four games.

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A look at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s numbers in IPL

Star batter Virat Kohli remains the all-time leading run-scorer in IPL history, with 8,101 runs from 255 matches, at an average of 38.76 and a strike rate of 132. He has also scored 56 fifties and eight centuries, the most by any player in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma ranks third on the list, having scored 6,649 runs in 260 matches, with an average of 29.42 and a strike rate of 131.04. He has hit 43 fifties and two centuries.