Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch believes that Virat Kohli does not need to adopt Rohit Sharma’s aggressive approach in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Kohli, set to play his 18th season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has often been criticized for his strike rate. With RCB still chasing their elusive maiden IPL title, discussions around Kohli’s batting approach have resurfaced. When asked whether Kohli should emulate Rohit Sharma’s attacking style from ball one, Finch dismissed the notion. He explained that Kohli has played a stabilizing role in international cricket, which has allowed Rohit to play freely. Finch highlighted that Rohit Sharma’s ability to go after bowlers in the powerplay was largely due to the assurance that Kohli would follow at No. 3 and stabilize the innings if needed. “When you look at the way Rohit plays, he has always had players around him who build the foundation. It’s easier to come out swinging when you know there’s someone dependable behind you. In India’s case, Kohli played that role, allowing Rohit to take risks,” Finch told PTI. Finch also pointed out that Kohli often had to rescue RCB from difficult situations, which is why his approach has been different from Rohit’s. “When Rohit made the conscious decision to attack early, he knew that Kohli was behind him at No. 3, ready to fix any mistakes. Maybe Kohli can increase his strike rate slightly, but he has often been the one digging RCB out of trouble. If everyone collapses around him, he needs to play the anchor role,” he added. Kohli remains IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer and the only player to surpass 8,000 runs. His contributions were crucial for RCB in IPL 2024. In the first six matches, he scored 319 runs at a strike rate of 142. When RCB needed to win seven consecutive matches to qualify for the playoffs, Kohli stepped up with 422 runs in the last nine games at a strike rate of 166.1. Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav’s Heartwarming Moment with Young Fan Goes Viral Overall, he has notched up 714 runs in 15 innings, averaging close to 62 with a strike rate of 154.7. Once again, he will be leading RCB's batting department in the upcoming season.
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