Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 29 (ANI): Indian ace batter Virat Kohli spoke about managing workload, maintaining rhythm and giving his all on return to action after guiding the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener.

Kohli played a match-winning, unbeaten knock of 69 off 38 deliveries, including five fours and as many sixes, that helped the defending champions also chase down the fastest 200-plus runs in the history of IPL. Bengaluru chase down the 202-run target in 15.4 overs.

During the post-match presentation, Kohli said that, given the heavy workload over the past years, burnout has been a bigger concern than lack of preparation.

Kohli added that taking breaks helps him stay mentally fresh and motivated, and when he returns, he gives his full effort. The RCB opener further said that rest allows him to recharge, and when combined with good physical fitness and mental readiness, it helps him perform at his best.

'Thanks for such lovely words. It's good to get back out there. You mentioned T20 cricket, the last game I played was the final last year, but I think the way I batted in the one-day series quite recently really helped me to stay in that same kind of momentum. I wasn't playing shots that I don't usually play. So I knew as long as I had the rhythm, and I've put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness, things should come together nicely. And yeah, tonight was another chance to start strong and build on this,' Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

'The kind of scheduling that we've had over the last 15 years and the amount of cricket I've played, for me, there was always a risk of getting burnt out rather than being undercooked. So these breaks help me mentally. I stay fresh, I stay excited. Whenever I come back to play, it's 120%. I'm not coming back underprepared. In fact, the extra rest helps me mentally freshen up. And as long as you're physically fit and mentally excited, both those things come together nicely,' Kohli added.

The former RCB captain also stressed the importance of consistently contributing to the team's success and not taking one's place for granted, while heaping praise on teammate Devdutt Padikkal for his match-winning knock.

'Then you're able to contribute to the team's cause, and that's what you want to do as a player. You don't want to just hold on to a spot; you want to keep performing and keep putting in the work for the team. (Padikkal's knock) Outstanding knock. I mean, right from the word go, I had plans of going aggressive in the powerplay,' the RCB opener said.

'But when I saw him play, I was like, just keep putting him back on strike and pick the odd boundary here and there. He completely took the game away from the opposition. I even told him, that shot he hit off the slower ball over mid-on for six, at that moment I said, just keep going. You're hitting the ball amazingly well, just keep pushing and take the game away from the opposition. If we finish with 25-26 balls to spare, we'll also benefit in terms of net run rate. His knock was tremendous. I've seen him at close quarters, the skill he has and now he's applying it. This is also at the back of a great domestic red-ball season. His timing, head position, balance, absolutely world-class. I know what he can do with the bat when he's confident, and tonight was a display of his sheer talent,' Kohli concluded.

During his masterclass knock against SRH, Kohli etched his name into the record books by becoming the first batter in the history of the IPL to cross 4000 runs in run chases.

Additonally, Kohli also surpassed former Pakistan batter Shoaib Malik to become the sixth-highest run-getter in T20 cricket. Malik has made 13571 runs in T20 557 matches and 515 innings. The former cricketer had an average of 35.99, including 83 half-centuries in the shortest format. (ANI)