4 min readMar 28, 2026 11:38 PM IST Virat Kohli plays only one format internationally these days. For someone who spent perhaps more than a decade playing non-stop cricket across formats, across the world, it is a different phase in his career. His appearances on the cricket grounds and television screens are limited to ODIs and IPL now. But, if his innings on the opening night of IPL 2026 is anything to go by, there is no rustiness in his batting. And the former India and RCB captain actually attributed it to the breaks he gets these days. Staying mentally is going to be the key to what is his final cricketing chapter. “The last game I played was the (IPL) 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,” Kohli said after his masterful 38-ball 69, staying unbeaten in a run-chase as he usually does. “I wasn’t playing shots that I don’t usually play, so I …