Aakash Chopra opens up on Virat Kohli’s knock in IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra noted that Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar Virat Kohli played a slow knock in IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings. Chopra believes Kohli’s knock did put RCB under the weather as he could not change gears.

The Indian veteran top-scored for RCB with 43 runs but consumed 35 balls. Kohli scored three boundaries in his knock but could only score his runs at a strike rate of 122.86. 

Kohli was dismissed by Afghanistan all-rounder, Azmatullah Omarzai, as he could not control his hook shot and ballooned the ball back to the bowler.

“Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Virat Kohli. He ran and took the catch as well. Virat was going a little slow. It’s true that if 190 runs are scored, and your strike rate is around 120, obviously, at that point in time, you start feeling that he is slightly behind the eight ball, that he is not running at that pace,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

Chopra recalled Kohli’s match-winning performances in big matches for the Indian team and said the right-hander was destined to succeed.

“However, I always call Virat the destiny’s child. He might not have scored runs in the entire tournament, but he comes to the final, becomes the Player of the Match, and wins that World Cup (T20 World Cup 2024). If it’s a World Cup match against Pakistan, it brings the best out of him. All things happen in such a way that Virat Kohli is always there. Sometimes, it’s in your destiny, and that’s exactly what happened,” he observed.

After RCB won their maiden IPL title, Kohli admitted he didn’t think this would happen ever. Kohli was full of gratitude after RCB won their maiden title.

“The slow knock too didn’t hurt the team in the end, because what matters is how it ended. It ended with a trophy and tears in your eyes. It might have ended with a lot of gratitude, that god has been very, very kind. He himself admitted that he never thought this would happen, because when you are heartbroken so many times, you feel it won’t happen at all,” Chopra said.

“You feel you will keep trying every year, and this will remain an unfulfilled dream, because no one gets everything in life. However, since Virat is destiny’s child, he has got everything and a bit more. Virat Kohli was absolutely phenomenal throughout the tournament. May not be in the final as much, but the hard work over so many years has eventually yielded dividends,” Chopra observed.

Kohli scored 657 runs in 15 innings of IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 144.71.