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Former England captain Michael Vaughan has compared Royal Challengers Bangalore’s iconic batsman Virat Kohli with football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. In the past, Kohli himself has spoken about his admiration for Ronaldo, especially regarding Ronaldo’s fitness.
The Portuguese football legend is still playing top level football at the age of 40. Kohli is also seen as a role model for young cricketers and the general public in terms of maintaining their fitness even after the age of 30.
Virat Kohli is the Cristiano of cricket – Michael Vaughan
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan said that Ronaldo also takes care of his body the way Kohli does. He talked about how Kohli has developed healthy habits in terms of exercising and his diet.
“You look at Cristiano Ronaldo, look at the way he takes care of his body, and I think Virat is the equivalent of Cristiano in cricket. He probably doesn’t post it on social media, but I can imagine that every morning, he’s probably in an ice bath, he’s probably in a cryo chamber.”
Vaughn said, “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t drink; he eats everything you’re supposed to put in your body. So, that’ll give him at least another two or three years. He does everything absolutely right, so I don’t think he’ll wear it out any time soon.”
He has been a role model for an entire generation – Lisa Sthalekar
Former Australia women’s captain Lisa Sthalekar also expressed her views, calling Virat Kohli an inspiration. In Vaughan’s own show, he said that all players should try to give back to the game like Virat Kohli.
“He has been a role model for a huge generation of Indian cricketers and global cricketers. And the fact is that, you know, Prince Yadav spoke to him and took his wicket as well. He might have told him how to get me back. But I like the fact that he is doing that.”
“Because I think, as cricketers, we have these platforms available to us. Individually, we have been successful, but the game has provided us with this thing. And I think it’s very important for all cricketers to give back, and it can be in different ways, but this is one way they can do that,” he concluded.
Virat Kohli in IPL 2026
Kohli has been in great form in IPL 2026 and is the leading run-scorer for RCB in the tournament.
During RCB’s clash against Punjab Kings on Sunday, he completed the 500-run milestone for the ninth time in the IPL season, the most by any batsman. In fact, Kohli has crossed the 500-run mark in four consecutive seasons.
Kohli is currently third in the Orange Cap list with 542 runs in 13 matches. Against Punjab, he played a useful inning of 58 runs in 37 balls. His runs have come at an average of 54.2 and a strike rate of around 165.
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