Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Virat Kohli for the way he handled immense expectations throughout his career. Chopra said the great batsman endured a huge amount of pressure for more than a decade and never allowed the cricket world to see how demanding the responsibility really was.
Kohli has scored 14,797 runs in 299 ODI innings at an average of 58.71. He has scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 Test matches and 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 in 117 T20I innings. The batsman has been ruled out of India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
You don’t even realize how much burden he is carrying – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised the way Virat Kohli has handled pressure throughout his career. The former India opener said that Virat Kohli’s biggest strength is his ability to remain unchanged by expectations and constant scrutiny.
Chopra said, “Just because I wore it well, doesn’t mean it wasn’t heavy. Who gives that life lesson? I’m going with Virat Kohli here. The point is about expectations and pressure. The point is about your own standards. Virat Kohli wears it so well that you don’t realize it. The special thing about him is that there is no change in his playing style. He has mastered this art.”
He said, “Some people are a little different from the rest. No matter how much pressure you put on them, their reactions, behaviour, body language and personality do not change. You don’t even realize that they have been carrying a very heavy burden on their shoulders for many years.”
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Virender Sehwag have given us this lesson – Aakash Chopra
Chopra cited players like Virender Sehwag and Vaibhav Suryavanshi as examples of cricketers who challenged conventional thinking. He said that his strength helped him influence the way cricket is played at both the domestic and international levels.
Chopra said, “Don’t follow the rules. Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Virender Sehwag have given us this lesson. The way Virender Sehwag was playing Test cricket 20 years ago, everyone said it was wrong. He said he would do it and do very well. He said he would change the way Test cricket is played. It will be remembered that he was a trend-setter.”
Vaibhav Suryavanshi is doing what Virender Sehwag did – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi has succeeded by supporting his aggressive batting style. The former India opener said Suryavanshi has chosen a different path by focusing on aggressive cricket and boundary hitting.
He said, “Vaibhav Suryavanshi is doing the same thing now. He has seen his seniors playing differently, but he decided that he will not do that and will only hit sixes. What Viru did in the early 2000s, he is doing the same thing in 2026. So you can make your place.”
Vaibhav Suryavanshi adopted that aggressive approach in IPL 2026 and won the Orange Cap. The young batsman scored 776 runs in 16 innings at an excellent strike rate of 237.30.
