'Is He Playing For England?': Ex-Teammate Shocked By Virat Kohli's Batting Form

Ravichandran Ashwin was so taken aback by Virat Kohli’s century against the West Indies on Sunday that he joked that it felt like the Indian great was ‘playing for England in England’. It was a cheeky nod to the flat pitches, tailor-made for home batters in England, which are seeing massive scores in ODIs.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls, one of the fastest tons of his India career. The knock was laced with ten fours and an uncharacteristic nine sixes, as the right-hander played with aggressive intent from the first ball. Thanks to this, India chased down 296 in less than 42 overs.

“I don’t know if he is playing for England in England! To bat with so much flow is not an easy thing, and the way he is batting is just remarkable, just amazing,”

Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

After the match, Kohli spoke about how it was a conscious decision for him to increase the tempo even at the fag end of his career, and how he wanted to continue improving himself, which Ashwin also praised as his best quality.

Why it doesn’t make ‘sense’ for Virat Kohli to continue beyond 2027

Kohli recently spoke about his wish to play the 2027 World Cup and suggested he won’t be around after that. Ashwin said he wasn’t surprised by the call.

“After 2027, chances of playing are very low… It’s about mindset,” he explained. “You know, maintaining that fitness level at an elite level and keeping batting form at an elite level takes a lot of effort. And I am sure behind closed doors—what we don’t get to see—he is doing a lot of work. So to continue and keep it up for years together, maybe he doesn’t want to do it. But looking at it, after 2027, if he wants to play ODI cricket too, it doesn’t make any practical sense. He doesn’t play Test cricket or T20 cricket either; he’s retired,” he added.