Virat Kohli, now 37 and holding a career record of over 15,000 ODI runs, has initiated a distinct transformation in his batting style. Following his retirement from Test cricket in May 2025, Kohli initially faced a turbulent start to this phase, recording successive ducks during the tour of Australia in October. This marked the first time in his long ODI career that he failed to score in two consecutive innings. So, I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk. Just push my own boundaries and see where we go.”.
However, the shift in his approach became evident during the home series against South Africa. Since that point, Kohli has accumulated 854 runs in 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 117.63. His recent unbeaten 139 in the first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram highlighted this resurgence, contributing to a sequence where his last ten innings have accounted for 825 runs. He salvaged something from the series in the final game.
Kohli attributes his newfound freedom to a specific, self-imposed challenge: “I’ve got a challenge at this stage of my career to kind of up the ante and play a gear or two higher.” He identified a century in Ranchi as a pivotal moment that effectively “opened me up” in a way he had not felt for a significant period. This evolution is best understood by comparing his performance across three distinct phases of the 2020s, beginning with a low point in 2021-22 when he averaged 30.79 while struggling against both pace and spin. The remarkable part was not the milestone. “ When I play freely, then I know I can hit sixes.
Since 2023, Kohli has moved into an elite tier. His strike rate against pace has surged to 123.54, up from 94.78 in the 2023-25 window, while his strike rate against spin now sits at 109.87. Unlike previous years, he has not been dismissed by spin during this current high-performance stretch. A major factor is his increased boundary frequency, which has improved from one boundary every 10.2 balls in 2021-22 to one every 7.3 balls over the last 11 months. But in how early, how often and how fearlessly he is now willing to do it, the change is not in what Kohli can do.
This is not a transition to reckless slogging. Former cricketer Zaheer Khan noted after Kohli’s Ranchi century that the batter is consistently positioning himself earlier. Technical analysis shows Kohli has significantly increased his intent; he now defends or leaves only 11% of good-length deliveries, down from 27.9% in the 2023-25 period. Consequently, his strike rate against good-length balls has climbed from 79.20 to 111.95. From 2012 and 2018 respectively, two of those sequences belong to Kohli himself.
Aggression is now a hallmark of his early innings. His strike rate against pace in the first 20 balls has risen to 109.48, compared to 80 previously. This shift was evident in his 93-run match-winning performance against New Zealand in Vadodara, where he entered at 39 for 1 and immediately took the attack to the bowlers. He explained that when the situation is tricky, he prefers to back himself to counterattack rather than waiting for a potentially dangerous ball.
His use of the crease and feet has also evolved. Against pacers, Kohli is now stepping down the pitch on 10.1% of deliveries, more than double the 4.2% rate seen in 2023-25. This tactic, designed to disrupt bowlers’ lengths, was highlighted by Ajinkya Rahane as a key component of his current dominance. Similarly, against spinners, Kohli has increased his aerial shots to 10.5% and is utilizing his feet much more frequently to reach the pitch of the ball.
This new version of Kohli is characterized by a refusal to let the game drift, ensuring he creates scoring opportunities without relying solely on traditional setups. As he looks toward future challenges, including the South Africa 2027 cycle, this proactive mindset appears to have redefined his role, moving away from the past expectation of simply anchoring the innings to providing a high-tempo foundation. It was the admission that there was still another version of Kohli to unlock.
