Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar hailed Virat Kohli after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star responded to recent criticism with a magnificent unbeaten century against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Gavaskar said Kohli’s latest masterclass proved that experience and class still remain unmatched in modern T20 cricket.
After being dismissed for ducks in his previous two innings, Kohli bounced back emphatically with an unbeaten hundred that guided RCB to a comfortable six-wicket victory over KKR in Raipur on Wednesday. The win also helped Bengaluru climb to the top of the IPL points table.
IPL 2026 | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap
Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar praised Kohli’s ability
to pace a chase under pressure and said the veteran batter had once again silenced questions over his form.
“Virat Kohli was absolutely outstanding against KKR. He knows how to construct a chase better than most,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’.
“While everyone was talking about this being the season of ‘Gen Next’, Kohli showed he is still around. He silenced the doubters with a century and moved to third in the Orange Cap race. He proved that the old generation is still the best.”
The start was delayed, but the entertainment certainly wasn’t 🍿
🎥 Your complete Raipur Recap of the #RCBvKKR clash 🙌#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | @RCBTweets | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/Xkrgwiuq64
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 14, 2026
Kohli’s Consistency!
The former India skipper also underlined Kohli’s extraordinary consistency in T20 cricket and felt his records could stand for years.
“When it comes to T20 centuries, he is third on the list with 10, behind Chris Gayle and Babar Azam. But he is the fastest to 14,000 T20 runs and has nine IPL hundreds. Records are there to be broken, but it will take a very long time for anyone to match what Kohli keeps delivering, game after game, season after season,” he said.
“This hundred from Virat Kohli was one of those special moments that remind us of his greatness,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
