Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli has hit his peak form once again, emerging as the franchise’s lynchpin in an excellent start to the 2025 season. Kohli hasn’t just scored runs himself but also complemented other batters in the team effectively, with the team’s success being the only objective in mind. Quite often, Virat has also been labelled as a batter who makes his ‘ego’ become a driving factor. But, in an interview with the Indian Premier League broadcasters, Kohli said that ‘ego’ has never been a driver throughout his cricketing career.

In the IPL 2025 matches so far, Kohli has often made way for skipper Rajat Patidar to lead the charge with the bat, while playing a supporting role at times. During a chat with JioHotstar, Kohli highlighted the ICC Champions Trophy as an example, where he didn’t mind giving Shreyas Iyer the driver’s seat.

“If you look at how things panned out even recently, in one of the Champions Trophy games, Shreyas (Iyer) took charge. It was never about ego. At that time, if I was in rhythm, in the flow of the game, I naturally took the initiative. If someone else was better placed to take the lead, they would do it. It was never about trying to overshadow anyone or suddenly feeling like I don’t have the ability. It’s always been about understanding the game situation, and that’s something I’ve always taken pride in. I want to play according to what the situation demands.”

During the conversation, Kohli also brought up his experiences from the early days in the RCB dressing room. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, etc. made Virat believe that his game isn’t at the level it needs to be. But, he kept his head down and worked hard to make it big.

“In my first three years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, I didn’t get many opportunities to bat in the top order. I was usually sent in lower down. So, I wasn’t really able to crack the IPL in a big way early on, apart from the occasional impactful knock. But the 2009 season felt a bit better for me. The pitches that year suited my game-the ball was coming onto the bat nicely, and I could play my shots more freely. It was definitely an interesting phase in my career. From 2010 onwards, I started performing more consistently, and by 2011, I was regularly batting at number three. That’s when my IPL journey really began to take shape.”