Australia WC-winning captain reveals why Virat Kohli can’t be like Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli is gearing up for another exciting Indian Premier League season, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 opener at Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 22.

Ahead of the tournament, discussions have emerged about whether Virat Kohli should adopt an aggressive batting style similar to Rohit Sharma's. In the IPL 2024, Kohli's strike rate was a major talking point, especially as he had to adjust his approach in the latter stages of the tournament.

Aaron Finch opens up on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's different batting styles ahead of the IPL 2025

Some believe that the former India and RCB captain should take a more attacking stance from the start, but Aaron Finch pointed out that Rohit Sharma is able to play an aggressive brand of cricket because of the strong batting lineup around him.

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The former Australian captain explained that Rohit always has dependable batters supporting him at both the Mumbai Indians and the India National Cricket Team, but Kohli often finds himself in a position where he needs to stabilize the innings for RCB and his national team also.

Aaron Finch was quoted as saying by PTI, “When you look at the way that Rohit's done it, have a look at the players that he's had around him. He's still had the foundations of a player that the team can bat around him. So, it's okay to walk out and swing from the hip and look to try and dominate and hit a lot of sixes from early in your innings. But you have to understand the dynamics of the team around that.”

Aaron Finch explains why Virat Kohli can't bat like Rohit Sharma

Finch has also mentioned that Kohli has frequently shouldered the responsibility of rescuing the team from tough situations when wickets have fallen early over the years in the IPL.

Well, Kohli is more than capable of increasing his strike rate, but his role in the RCB lineup has often required him to anchor the innings for his team rather than playing attacking cricket.

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The former RCB opener further explained, “When you look, when Rohit's made that conscious decision, he's had Virat coming in behind him at number three. So, there's an ability for him to say, you know what, I've got the guy behind that will fix any mistakes that I make. And I understand that Rohit's done that, and he's been very successful doing it.

Maybe if his strike rate goes from 140 to 150, he can absolutely do that. No issues whatsoever. But how many times has he been in a situation where he's had to almost dig RCB out of the hole because everybody else has fallen around him?”

Can Virat Kohli repeat IPL 2024 heroics in the 2025 season?

Notably, Kohli was the leading run scorer in the IPL 2024, where he amassed 741 runs in 15 innings with an impressive average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69. He won the Orange Cap for having the best-ever season of his IPL career.

Now, RCB would be hoping Kohli to continue his form in the 2025 season.