Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Virat Kohli’s intensity and energy on the field when the veteran batter celebrated GT’s top-order wickets with passion. RCB thumped GT by a gargantuan margin of 92 runs in the first qualifier of IPL 2026 at Dharamshala on Tuesday to make it to their second consecutive IPL final.
As always, Kohli was pumped up when Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam Dar provided early breakthroughs. GT was bundled out for a paltry score of 162 after RCB had posted an above-par total of 254 runs on the board.
Kohli had contributed 43 runs off 25 balls before he was dismissed by Jason Holder when he chopped the ball back on to his stumps.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “Did you see Virat’s celebrations when the first four wickets fell? Pehle 4 wicket usne hi liya hai [It seemed like he had taken those four wickets]. From where do you get this kind of intensity? Har jo wicket hai, tera wicket jaisa kaise celebrate kar raha hai yaar? (How can you celebrate every wicket like it’s your wicket?) I enjoyed it a lot.”
Ashwin said Kohli is not human, adding he is from some other planet as he always plays with heart on his sleeve.
“Woh insaan nahi hai [He is not human]. He is something else. He has come from some other planet. I don’t know where he has come from; he is not human.”
On the other hand, Ashwin also praised Krunal Pandya for his consistent performances.
He said, “Don’t call 108 in case of an emergency; call Krunal Pandya.”
Pandya continued his rich form, scoring 43 runs off 28 balls. He added a crucial alliance of 95 runs off 45 balls with skipper Rajat Patidar after RCB lost two quick wickets of Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.
