"Virat Kohli has become a bit calm now" - Former RCB teammate's huge claim on superstar batter amid AUS vs IND 2025 series

Virat Kohli's former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Mohammad Kaif made a huge claim on the star batter amid the ongoing T20I series between Australia and India. Kohli featured in the three-match ODI series before the T20Is.

While Virat Kohli is known for his aggression and attitude on the field, Kaif reckoned that the superstar batter has become calm. He also reflected that Kohli had become more understanding of his game by being calmer.

"Virat Kohli has become a bit calm now. There is a lot of difference between how he was before marriage and how he is after marriage. When I see him playing now, I had met him during an IPL game also, he hit Rabada for a boundary coming down the ground, maybe he had scored a half-century and won the game. But he was very calm. He told me that if I had not attacked Rabada early on, he would not have let me play. So I wanted to hit him off the first ball. Abhishek is doing the same thing. When it comes to his understanding of cricket, there is improvement with calmness," he said on his YouTube channel.

Talking about Kohli's nature and behaviour after becoming a superstar, Kaif reflected that there was no such difference. He stated that the 37-year-old still had the hunger to improve his game and even treated everyone the same as he did before.

"He still wants to improve his game after having played for so many years. And he still meets me the same way even now. If he called you a brother before, he will call you a brother now as well. When you meet him off the field, he will remember that he has played with you and will give you that respect. There is no change there," he added.

Kohli scored consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs. However, he bounced back with a match-winning, unbeaten 74 in the third match.

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Mohammad Kaif on why Virat Kohli did not sign the commercial contract for RCB ahead of IPL 2026

Talking about Virat Kohli, Mohammad Kaif also reflected on why the RCB star did not sign the franchise's commercial contract ahead of the 2026 season. In a recent development, RCB's current owners officially put the franchise up for sale. Therefore, Kaif reckoned that Kohli was playing the waiting game before signing the commercial contract.

"There are rumors that the next season might not have the RCB name. Virat Kohli did not sign the commercial contract as he was waiting to see what direction the new owners would take, whether there would be a name change or rebranding. This is why he was playing the waiting game. We will get to know in a couple of weeks as time goes," he said.

RCB won their maiden IPL title last season. They beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the final. Kohli played a crucial role in their triumph. He scored 657 runs from 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike-rate of 144.71 with eight half-centuries.

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Edited by Rishab Vm