Virat Kohli has always been known for his fearless mindset and unmatched fitness. Even as the game keeps evolving with new rules like the Impact Player role, the Indian batting legend has made it clear that he would rather retire than compromise on his style of playing.
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His strong words came out during a private chat with Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 20-year-old youngster Swastik Chikara, who shared the story after IPL 2025.
What did Virat Kohli tell Swastik Chikara about being an Impact Player?
During one of their casual conversations, Chikara recalled Kohli saying that he would never take the field just as a substitute batter.
According to him, Kohli told him,"Virat bhaiya told me that he will play cricket until I am fully fit. I won’t play as an impact player. I will play like a tiger and field for 20 overs. I won’t be like doing only batting and sitting out. In such a scenario, I will keep the bag at home,"
These words, as Chikara revealed, were spoken during a gym session. Kohli’s message was simple: he believes in contributing fully both with the bat and on the field and doesn’t want to limit himself to a part-time role.
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"He was doing gym and told me that, ‘I will play till I am fully fit and can field for 20 overs with full effort.’ ‘Mai impact me nahi kheloonga sher ki tarah kheloonga (I won’t play as an impact player but only as a tiger),’” he added.
Who is Swastik Chikara and why did this chat get so much attention?
Swastik Chikara, born in Ghaziabad in 2005, was picked by RCB at the IPL 2025 mega auction for his base price of INR 30 lakh.
Even though he didn’t feature in a single match during the season, he became very popular with fans because of his energy and his close association with Kohli.
Social media was full of clips showing him excitedly following Kohli around during training and matches.
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His personality helped him gain a massive fan following online as his Instagram crossed a million followers during the season.
How important was Kohli for RCB in their title-winning season?
RCB finally won their maiden IPL trophy in 2025 and Kohli played an important contribution in the title win.
He scored 657 runs at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71 in 15 matches in the IPL 2025. He proved once again why he remains one of the best players in the league.