Mohammad Kaif's Unexpected 'Virat Kohli Post' Stumps Everyone, Fans Question Timing

It has been two years since Virat Kohli retired from international cricket. Yet, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener on Saturday, Kohli batted like a man possessed - someone who knew exactly what and where his opponent was going to bowl. The former RCB captain remained unbeaten on 69 runs off just 38 balls, striking at a rate of 181.58, leaving even his harshest critics spellbound. Kohli's pivotal knock earned RCB a dominant victory, prompting Mohammad Kaif to hit out at those who claimed the batting icon was 'finished'. However, the timing of Kohli's post left fans gobsmacked as the India stalwart has only been getting praise of late, having proven himself with consistent knocks for India in ODI cricket over the last year or so.

Kaif, in an intriguing post on social media, highlighted Kohli's last 10 scores in white-ball cricket, showing that the RCB star is averaging close to 100 over this period. "Imagine, after two ducks in Australia, they said Virat Kohli was finished. His last 10 scores in white-ball cricket are: 74, 135, 102, 65, 131, 77, 93, 23, 124, and 69* in this match," Kaif wrote.

Imagine after two ducks in Australia, they said Virat Kohli was over. His last 10 scores in white ball cricket are - 74, 135, 102, 65, 131, 77, 93 , 23, 124 and 69 n.o in this match.

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) March 28, 2026

Fans, upon seeing Kaif's post, wondered why the former India batter had to bring up such things now, especially when Kohli has consistently been at the top of his game. Some even highlighted that Kohli's criticism was for the period in red-ball cricket where he hardly managed to make runs. Criticism during those times, is justified.

What's wrong with you, Kaif? If Kohli doesn't play well, shouldn't he be criticized? And because of Rohit and Kohli, Yashasvi's ODI career has been wasted for the last 2 years.

— B4WICKET (@BWicket45) March 28, 2026

Another First for Virat Kohli

In the match, Kohli entered the record books once again, becoming the first batter in the history of the Indian Premier League to cross 4000 runs in run chases. He also surpassed former Pakistan batter Shoaib Malik to become the sixth-highest run-getter in T20 cricket. Malik has scored 13,571 runs in 557 matches and 515 innings, with an average of 35.99, including 83 half-centuries in the shortest format.

The game against SRH also saw Kohli bring up his 64th IPL half-century off 33 balls, before racing to the finish by smashing 18 runs off Harshal Patel's four deliveries in the 16th over. Alongside Kohli, Impact Player Devdutt Padikkal also made a big impression, hammering a 26-ball 61 with four sixes and seven fours, as Bengaluru raced to 203-4 in just 15.4 overs, with 26 deliveries to spare.

RCB sealed the match in only 15.4 overs, giving their Net Run Rate a significant boost in the very first game of the tournament.

Topics mentioned in this article

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Virat Kohli IPL 2026 Cricket