'Not Coming Back Underprepared': Virat Kohli Reveals Performance Mantra After Masterful Fifty In IPL 2026 Opener

The iconic Virat Kohli believed that periodic breaks from the game have helped him stay mentally fresh and avoid burnout, after stroking his 28th IPL half-century at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

His effort came in RCB's walk-in-the-park six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the lung opener.

Kohli, who made a 38-ball-69 with five maximums and equal number of boundaries, showed that stepping away from the game at regular intervals has been crucial in maintaining peak performance despite playing his first T20 match since the IPL final last year.

Asked if there is a chance of turning in under prepared since he hasn't played T20 cricket for 10 months, Kohli said: "Well, you know, 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 helped me immensely. I stay fresh, I stay excited."

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The 37-year-old stressed that he never returns to competitive cricket unless he is more than 100 percent.

"Whenever I come back to play, it's 120%. I'm not coming back, you know, underprepared. In fact, the extra rest helps me to mentally freshen up." For Kohli, it is important to perform and not just hold onto a place.

"As long as you're physically fit and you're excited mentally, all those things come together nicely and then you're able to, you know, contribute for the team's cause and that's what you want to do as a player. You don't want to hold on to a spot.

"You want to keep performing and, you know, keep putting in the work for the team," he added.

Reflecting on his return to T20 cricket, Kohli said recent white-ball outings had helped him retain rhythm despite a gap in the shortest format.

"It was 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 have the rhythm and I've put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness, things should come together nicely and tonight was another chance to start strong and to build on this," he said.