"When Virat Kohli bats, I always go and knock on my kids' door" - Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has stated that he often asks his kids to watch Virat Kohli bat as he considers the Indian batter to be one of the best players to look at when in full swing.
Vaughan's comments came after Kohli's stunning unbeaten 82-run knock powered Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a comprehensive eight-wicket win in their opening Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, April 2.
Heaping praise on Kohli, here's what the cricketer-turned-commentator told Cricbuzz:
"When Virat Kohli bats, I always go and knock on my kids' [door]. Generally, kids stay in the bedroom these days, they stay on the laptop or on tablets. I always go and say, 'Come on! watch this'. Virat for me still, when he is playing like that, is the best player to watch in the world.
"He makes batting look so easy. Some of those strokes, his balance, his timing, all around the ground, the drives down the ground, over extra cover, that little flick off his hip for six, and those little kind of steering wheel shots through midwicket, he's a joy to watch."
Kohli was the top scorer for RCB in the encounter. He stitched together a brilliant 148-run opening partnership alongside Faf du Plessis to take the game away from the opposition while chasing a tricky 172-run target at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"His body is still 25" - Michael Vaughan on RCB skipper Faf du Plessis
Michael Vaughan further pointed out that despite being 38 years old, RCB captain Faf du Plessis has ensured he remains supremely fit.
He mentioned that the veteran batter is like a livewire on the field. Vaughan emphasized that Du Plessis uses his bottom hand to his advantage while batting, which enables him to play powerful strokes through the leg side. Vaughan explained:
"He [Faf du Plessis] may be 38 years in age, but his body is still 25. He's fit and moves around the field as good as I've seen him for a long while. He's a brilliant player, he gets that right hand into the game, and kind of shovels it into the onside."
Notably, Du Plessis has showcased tremendous form in franchise-based T20 tournaments lately. He upped the ante right from the start against MI, scoring 73 off just 43 balls.
The right-handed batter was named the Player of the Match for his whirlwind knock.