Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has ignited a massive social media reaction after praising Virat Kohli’s stellar performance in the IPL 2026 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kohli silenced critics who had written off his white-ball career following a rough patch during the ODI series against Australia, by smashing an unbeaten 69 off 38 deliveries. This match-winning knock helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully chase down a formidable target of 203 in less than 16 overs.
Kaif took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the stark contrast between public perception and Kohli’s actual output. Reminding fans of the “finished” narrative that surfaced after Kohli recorded two ducks in Australia, Kaif shared a breakdown of Kohli’s last 10 white-ball innings, which includes multiple high scores and centuries, demonstrating a remarkable return to form. The post quickly went viral, with fans rallying behind the sentiment and praising Kohli’s resilience.
Beyond the social media noise, the game was a milestone event for the RCB icon. Kohli became the first player in IPL history to score 4,000 runs in successful run-chases and surpassed Shoaib Malik in the all-time T20 run charts. With a quickfire contribution from Devdutt Padikkal, the team not only secured the win but also gained a significant early boost to their net run rate. The performance has firmly re-established Kohli as a powerhouse in white-ball cricket, leaving his critics with little to argue against.