'Kind of personality I have, I do have tendencies to go overboard': Virat Kohli on aggressive on-field approach

Virat Kohli discussed the balance between his calm and aggressive on-field personas during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit ahead of IPL 2025.
Despite becoming calmer on the field recently, Kohli faced criticism during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for shoulder-charging newcomer Sam Konstas in the fourth Test at Melbourne. He also had confrontational interactions with the crowd, referencing the 'Sandpaper Gate' scandal that resulted in one-year bans for Steve Smith and David Warner in 2018.
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"It is naturally kind of getting tapered down again. People are not happy about that either. I do not know what to do, to be honest. Earlier, my aggression was a problem, now my calmness is a problem. It is like, I have no idea what needs to be done, that is why I do not focus on it much."
"The kind of person I am, the kind of personality I have, yes, I do have tendencies to kind of go overboard. And I've never shied away from that. But the starting point is, okay, sometimes it might not have gone out with the right intent, but more often than not, the starting point has been of care. I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That is why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation. Because I am like, yes, this is exactly what needs to happen. And I represent it like that."

"My competitiveness has not gone down. So, I think for a lot of people, it is very difficult to process how is the competitiveness going to be at the same level if the aggression is not. You can still be aggressive in your mind, but you do not necessarily need to express it out there every now and then out of frustration, which I have - I mean, in the recent past as well, which is not a great thing, to be honest, I don't feel great about those things myself."
Kohli recently contributed to India's ICC Champions Trophy victory as the team's second-highest run-scorer. He scored 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50, including an unbeaten century against Pakistan and 84 runs against Australia in the semifinals.

The star batter will next appear in RCB's IPL 2025 campaign, beginning with the opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22 at Eden Gardens.
Kohli holds the record for most runs in IPL history with 8,004 runs in 252 matches. He maintains an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 131.97, including eight centuries and 55 fifties.
In the previous season, Kohli won the Orange Cap with 741 runs at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69. His performance included one century, five fifties, and 38 sixes.
RCB's previous season saw a remarkable turnaround, with the team qualifying for playoffs after winning just one match in their first eight games. They secured six consecutive victories to reach the final four.