"People have been criticising him…” - Cheteshwar Pujara on Virat Kohli after RCB’s IPL 2025 triumph

Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) dream of winning the IPL trophy was fulfilled when they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad in the IPL 2025 final. Throughout the tournament, Kohli smashed eight fifties, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches and finishing in the third spot in the Orange Cap list. 

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He finished the season as RCB’s highest run-getter in the tournament and was also the highest scorer in the final, scoring 43 off 35. Now, during a discussion on Star Sports, former Team India pacer Varun Aaron asked Cheteshwar Pujara how difficult it must have been for the RCB batter to evolve his batting at this stage of his career. 

In reply to that, Pujara said: "It's not easy, but the good part about Virat is that he is one of the fittest cricketers, and he is open to adapting to a new challenge or something different. He is always open to learning new things."

"People have been criticising him in the past that he wasn't batting at a strike rate of 140-150. Now, if you look at his batting this season, he has answered that question. He has batted at a strike rate of 140-150 and above. So he has evolved as a batter," he added.

"It doesn't come naturally. You need to work on it, and even to work on it at this age, when he is 36 and has played the game for such a long time, if you are still willing to learn and make a difference to the team, that shows how big a player he is," Pujara said.

In the same discussion, Pujara also opened up on Kohli being emotional after the win, saying: "It's a massive moment in his career. He has achieved a lot in his career, but the one thing he couldn't achieve in his career for so many years was an IPL title.” 

“It shows how much it mattered to him because he was working hard to win this title for many years. He was looking very emotional, and the tears coming from his eyes show the importance of an IPL title for a cricketer," he further added.

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