Former England captain Michael Vaughan has drawn a striking parallel between India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon Virat Kohli and football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, praising Kohli's extraordinary ability to maintain peak physical condition even in the twilight of his professional career. Vaughan highlighted how both athletes have redefined longevity in their respective sports through sheer dedication to their bodies.
Michael Vaughan compares Virat Kohli with Cristiano Ronaldo
Despite being 37 years old, Kohli remains widely regarded as one of the fittest cricketers on the planet. His lightning-fast speed between the wickets and high-octane intensity in the field show no signs of slowing down. Vaughan credited this sustained brilliance to the right-handed batter’s meticulous off-field work ethic, noting that his strict diet and tailored training regimens mirror the legendary professionalism of Ronaldo, who remains a crucial player for his team even at the age of 41.
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This unwavering discipline has convinced Vaughan that the Indian maestro is nowhere near the end of his journey. The former England skipper emphasized that because of this elite lifestyle and conditioning, Kohli still has plenty of years left to dominate at the highest echelon of both international and franchise cricket.
“You look at Cristiano Ronaldo, you look at the way that he looks after his body. I think Virat is the cricket equivalent of Cristiano. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it because I don't think Virat puts it on socials, but I can imagine every morning, he's probably in ice bath, he's probably in a cryo chamber. I'm pretty sure he doesn't drink, he eats everything that you should put in your body, unlike us. He's not got the diet of the Cricbuzz team. So that's going to give him at least two or three more years. He does everything absolutely right. So I don't see him finishing any time soon,” Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz’s programme.
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Virat Kohli's magic continues in IPL 2026
Kohli is enjoying yet another incredibly fruitful season in the IPL as he spearheads Royal Challengers Bengaluru's quest for their second consecutive championship title. The prolific right-hander has already amassed 542 runs across 13 matches, striking at an impressive 164.74. Remarkably, this scoring rate stands as the highest strike rate he has recorded in a single season since making his tournament debut back in 2008. Displaying immense consistency, the legendary batter is averaging nearly 55 with the blade, a run that features a masterful, unbeaten century against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur which anchored a winning cause for his side. At the time of writing, Kohli's stellar run-scoring form has put him within striking distance of the tournament's top honors, trailing the current Orange Cap holder, Sai Sudharsan, by a mere 12 runs.