England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt recalled a conversation with Virat Kohli during their time together at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Salt revealed that Kohli's simple two-word message gave him the confidence and clarity to attack during a crucial run chase at Eden Gardens.
Virat Kohli played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's back-to-back IPL title wins. The ace batter scored 675 runs at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84 during the 2026 season. After recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the final, he is preparing for India's upcoming ODI series in England.
Kill Him - Phil Salt Reveals Virat Kohli's Match-Changing Advice
Phil Salt recalled a moment with Virat Kohli during the IPL at Eden Gardens. The England opener said they were struggling to score quickly before Kohli walked over between overs and gave him a simple message that completely changed his mindset.
"It was like the third over of batting with him in the IPL at Eden Gardens. We weren't on many, and between overs he just said, 'Kill him.' That's all he said. 'Kill him. Make this a big over.' We hadn't hit many boundaries, but he knew it was my match-up. I knew it was my match-up as well. Was it the right time to target an over for 20-plus? I didn't know. But he knew, and he gave me that clarity and told me to do it. That's huge," Phil Salt said on The Super Over.
He Is the Most Complete Player - Phil Salt Praises Virat Kohli
Phil Salt compared his understanding with Kohli to the partnerships seen in top-level football. He said that such chemistry is rare in cricket and described the former India captain as the most complete player he has played with or watched.
"You see it in so many different sports where your knowledge of your teammates is huge. In football, when De Bruyne was playing with Haaland, it almost felt like he knew exactly where Haaland would be. You see those relationships in different sports, but you don't actually see it a lot in cricket. He is the most complete player that I have played with or watched on TV - I don't think there is anything he can't do."
Kohli and Salt opened the batting together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the last two IPL seasons. Their partnership played a key role in helping the franchise win consecutive IPL titles.
Virat Kohli Set to Return for England ODI Series
Virat Kohli is set to return to international cricket in the three-match ODI series against England after missing the recent home series against Afghanistan because of a hamstring injury. The matches will be played in Birmingham, Cardiff, and Lord's.
Kohli heads into the series in excellent form. He scored 675 runs in 16 IPL 2026 matches at an average of 56.25, including one century and five fifties. He also made an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls in the final to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase 156 and lift the title.
The veteran batter also became the first player to score 9,000 IPL runs during the season. He now has 9,336 runs in 275 innings, including nine centuries and 68 half-centuries, further extending his record as the tournament's leading run-scorer.
