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Former England captain Michael Vaughan has compared Royal Challengers Bengaluru's iconic batter Virat Kohli to football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. In the past, Kohli himself has spoken about his admiration for Ronaldo, especially about the latter's fitness.
The Portuguese football legend is still playing top-flight football at the age of 40. Kohli, too, has been hailed as a role model for younger cricketers and the general populace in terms of maintaining his fitness even in his late 30s.
Virat Kohli is the Cristiano of cricket- Michael Vaughan
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan said that the way Kohli looked after his body was just like the way Ronaldo did it. He went on to talk about how Kohli had developed healthy habits of exercising and in terms of his diet.
"You look at Cristiano Ronaldo, look at the way he looks after his body, and I think Virat's the cricket equivalent of Cristiano. He probably doesn't post it on social media, but I can imagine every morning, he's probably in an ice bath, he's probably in a cryo chamber."
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't drink; he eats everything you should put in your body, unlike us. So, that's gonna give him at least two or three more years. He does everything absolutely right, so I don't see him finishing any time soon," said Vaughan.
He's been a role model for an entire generation- Lisa Sthalekar
Former Australia Women's captain Lisa Sthalekar also chipped in with her thoughts on Virat Kohli being an inspiration. On the same show as Vaughan, she said that all players should strive to give back to the game as Virat Kohli has.
"He has been a role model for a huge generation of Indian cricketers and global cricketers. And the fact that you know, Prince Yadav spoke to him and picked up his wicket as well. Maybe told him how to get me, nip it back. But I like the fact that he's doing that."
"Because I think, as cricketers, we're afforded these platforms. Individually, we've been successful, but the game has afforded us 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 that he can do it," she concluded.
Virat Kohli in IPL 2026
Kohli has been in an amazing run of form in IPL 2026, being RCB's highest run-getter in the tournament.
During RCB's clash against the Punjab Kings on Sunday, he completed the milestone of 500 runs in an IPL season for the ninth time, the most by any batter. In fact, Kohli has crossed the 500-run mark for four seasons in a row now.
With 542 runs in 13 matches, Kohli is currently third on the Orange Cap list. Against Punjab, he played a useful hand of 58 runs in 37 balls. His runs have come at an average of 54.2 and a strike rate of almost 165.
