Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes leaving Test cricket has liberated Virat Kohli. The talisman announced his Test retirement in May 2025 and since then he has played with a lot of freedom in the ODI format.
It is also noted that Kohli is playing with an aggressive approach but at the same time, he is not playing recklessly. Kohli is often getting off to quick starts and he is capitalising on anything loose from the opposition.
Kohli scored an outstanding knock of 139 runs off just 88 balls with the help of 10 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 157.95 against the Windies. The talisman batted at the top of his game and was once again able to hit the ground running.
The veteran also became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15000 ODI runs and he got to the milestone in 74 innings quicker than the Master Blaster. This was Kohli’s 55th ODI century and his 86th International ton.
Aakash Chopra said on Cricinfo, “Leaving Test cricket has just liberated him. There’s a lot more clarity in mind that this is the format that I play and this is how I want to play it. Test cricket demanded something else. And therefore, he had to always keep switching between the two formats, or rather three formats he was playing. But now it’s only ODI for India. It’s only T20 for RCB. He knows that I can actually go and enjoy batting. This is sheer enjoyment.”
The former Delhi cricketer said Kohli is always trying to raise the bar for himself and thus has found success at the top level.
“How do you actually motivate yourself at this stage of your career where you’ve achieved everything that there is to be achieved? You keep upping the bar for yourself that the challenge is not coming from outside. Can I do this? Can I go there? The uncharted territory? I’ve not done this. Will it excite me now? I think that’s the kind of approach we see with Virat Kohli, which is, of course, refreshing.”
The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday
