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Gujarat Titans (GT) assistant coach Vijay Dahiya was in awe of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Virat Kohli’s mindset after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash on April 24. Dahiya said that Kohli was disappointed with himself for losing his wicket for 81 and not going on to get a century. Despite the high-scoring affair, Dahiya feels that the surface was not easy to bat on but Kohli made it look easy.
"I think it's amazing. If you look at his energy. One thing is about skill, one thing is about game sense. But his awareness, his energy and his willingness. After the game, I was just having a chat with him, and he was disappointed. He was saying that I could have converted this into a 100. I said, 'It's for somebody who doesn't know how to do it. You have been doing it day in and day out'. He made the surface look really easy. It wasn't an easy wicket," Dahiya told reporters at the post-match press conference.
Kohli made the most of the early dropped chance from Washington Sundar. After the reprieve, he and Devdutt Padikkal used the powerplay overs well. Kohli broke free after the fielding restrictions were removed. He reached his half-century from 30 deliveries. After Padikkal's wicket, he hit Jason Holder for two consecutive sixes. He went for an aerial shot but was deceived by the slower one. His knock of 81 off 44 deliveries, featured eight fours and four sixes.
Dahiya lauded Kohli for setting standards for youngsters. Also, the way he dictates terms against the bowlers, putting them under pressure.
"When you are playing and when you are commanding the situation, you make the bowler bowl where you want him to bowl. And that's the kind of innings Virat has played. Put pressure on the bowlers. And world-class bowlers. That's what Virat Kohli is all about. It's his mindset that sets him apart from many people. He's one of the best runners so far; he's pushing the youngsters on his side," he added.
Kohli gets orange cap
Kohli is currently leading the orange cap race with 328 runs from seven innings at an average of 54.66 and strike rate of 163.18. He has scored three fifties in the season so far.
He surpassed Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) Abhishek Sharma (323 runs) and Heinrich Klaasen (320 runs) to top the list.
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