New Delhi [India]: Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, praised the star batter for achieving his 100th T20 half-century, equating it to scoring a century of centuries in ODIs and highlighting Kohli’s remarkable consistency in the shortest format of the game.
Continuing his red-hot form in IPL 2025, Kohli notched up his third fifty of the season, steering Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a dominant nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur while chasing 174. With this knock, Kohli became only the second player in T20 cricket history—after Australia’s David Warner—to register 100 fifties in the format.
Speaking to media, Rajkumar Sharma commended Kohli’s milestone:
“Definitely, it is a big achievement. I think scoring 100 fifties is as good as scoring 100 centuries in ODIs I would say because T20 is such a format where scoring fifty is a good score and that shows his consistency. The way he has played since the beginning, he has been the most consistent batsman in the T20 format also.”
He also applauded the synergy between Kohli and Phil Salt at the top of the order for RCB, which has been instrumental in the team’s recent performances.
“Phil Salt and Virat are really complimenting each other well because initially, Phil is taking on, and Virat is stabilizing the innings. It is a great combination,” he added.
With RCB showing strong performances this season, Sharma believes the team has the potential to finally clinch their maiden IPL title.
“They have depth in their bowling also and Kohli is looking good. So, let us keep our fingers crossed and hope lot of good things for RCB. It is early to say but the way they are playing they look good as a team but not winning in home conditions (lost both games so far in Bengaluru). I expect them to do well at home too,” he said.
Virat currently sits fifth in the list of top scorers in IPL 2025, having amassed 248 runs in six innings at an average of 62.00 and a strike rate over 143. His highest score this season is 67.
When asked about Kohli’s prospects for the upcoming England tour for the five-Test series starting June 20, which marks the beginning of India’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, Rajkumar played it down for now:
“It is too early. It is a different format. Let us focus on the IPL first.”
However, heading into the England series, India faces a major concern: the waning Test form of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Their slump played a significant role in India’s first-ever home Test series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand last year and their failure to qualify for this year’s WTC final.
In the 2024–25 season, Rohit managed only 164 runs across eight Tests at a dismal average of 10.93, with just one half-century. Virat, on the other hand, scored 382 runs in 10 matches at an average of 22.87, including a lone century and one fifty.
Since 2020, Kohli’s Test form has been underwhelming, averaging only 30.72 over 39 matches. During this period, he has accumulated 2,028 runs, registering just three centuries and nine fifties.