NEW DELHI: India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru icon Virat Kohli has revealed the bowlers who gave him the toughest time across formats in his illustrious career. Speaking at an event ahead of RCB’s IPL 2025 clash with Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli opened up about his most challenging opponents with the ball.
In a now-viral video, Kohli named England’s veteran seamer James Anderson as the most difficult bowler he faced in Test cricket, especially in English conditions.
In ODIs, Kohli picked Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga as the trickiest to face, while also admitting that England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid has consistently troubled him in the 50-over format.
“In Test cricket. James Anderson in England was by far the toughest team went to cricket. I think Sunil Narine, for a consistent amount of time. Fifteen years. He’s still very difficult to pick. This guy hits him for fun, but I can’t. I can’t pick him,” Kohli said in the video.
When it comes to T20 cricket, Kohli acknowledged Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Sunil Narine as the most difficult bowler to pick in the shortest format.
“In ODIs, I think Malinga was pretty good. He was difficult to face. Adil Rashid is very good. He’s probably the toughest ODI spinner that I’ve faced. He’s very, very good,” he said.
Kohli is currently enjoying a strong IPL 2025 season, leading RCB’s batting charts with 443 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of 63.29.
In a now-viral video, Kohli named England’s veteran seamer James Anderson as the most difficult bowler he faced in Test cricket, especially in English conditions.
In ODIs, Kohli picked Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga as the trickiest to face, while also admitting that England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid has consistently troubled him in the 50-over format.
“In Test cricket. James Anderson in England was by far the toughest team went to cricket. I think Sunil Narine, for a consistent amount of time. Fifteen years. He’s still very difficult to pick. This guy hits him for fun, but I can’t. I can’t pick him,” Kohli said in the video.
When it comes to T20 cricket, Kohli acknowledged Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Sunil Narine as the most difficult bowler to pick in the shortest format.
“In ODIs, I think Malinga was pretty good. He was difficult to face. Adil Rashid is very good. He’s probably the toughest ODI spinner that I’ve faced. He’s very, very good,” he said.
Kohli is currently enjoying a strong IPL 2025 season, leading RCB’s batting charts with 443 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of 63.29.
