Exclusive | 'If you want to define consistency, look no further than Virat Kohli': Anjum Chopra

This season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been quite the roller-coaster ride, so far. We have seen multiple records tumble, we have seen the bowlers fighting back and not allowing it to be a complete run-fest. We have seen multiple young Indian cricketers shine and make the most of the opportunities given to them. And of course we have, so far, had a season which could well produce a first-time champion, with the likes of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals doing rather well.

And amongst all of this, the one thing that remains constant is Virat Kohli’s amazing consistency.

To talk about all of this and more I caught up with former India captain, Anjum Chopra, someone who played over 150 international matches for India and who has been tracking all the IPL action very, very closely, as a commentator for over a decade now.

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As IPL 2025 well and truly enters its business end and the race for the four playoff spots becomes more and more intense, it’s important to understand some of the finer details of what we are witnessing. And who better to talk about all this than someone who is right there at the heart of all the action, match after match.

This is part one of an exclusive interview with Anjum Chopra on IPL 2025:

Firstpost: First-up, I wanted to start with a word on Virat Kohli. It’s sometimes mind-boggling to see his consistency in the IPL - regardless of what’s happening with RCB, Virat performs. This season again we are seeing the same thing and it’s also a great reminder of the fact that he still has a lot of cricket left in him…

Anjum Chopra: Virat Kohli defines consistency. I know it’s a big statement to make, but if you want to define consistency, look no further than Virat Kohli. I say this to the (Indian) women players as well. I tell them – ‘why are you looking for any role model anywhere else? You only have to look at your own country and you only have to look in one direction. There are others also of course and we have ample examples of consistency within our own set-up in our country. And Virat Kohli certainly dominates that space.

The 2022 season after he gave up RCB captaincy, was a slightly below-par season for him (341 runs in 16 matches). Barring that, with injury, without injury, with RCB doing well or not, he is scoring runs. His strike rate in the last three seasons or so (2022-2024) has only gone up. It is not just overnight that an improvement like this happens. There is a lot of hard work, there is planning and the fitness element as well. He is gaining experience, but he is also gaining age. For a player to walk in and score like this and contribute – it’s absolutely commendable.

FP: What about RCB as a team doing really well this season - this squad has really come together well, hasn’t it, after the mega auction?

AC: It’s heartening to see. A franchise which is making its presence felt, not just as participants. They have of course been around, they have played finals, but not very often have they looked like a very dangerous side which could give opponents a run for their money, including in the opponents’ den. The signings made a difference – Phil Salt at the top has made a massive difference. Tim David has made a big difference. Josh Hazelwood has been with them for a few seasons and this season he is really delivering. Suyash Sharma has begun to deliver well.

They (RCB) have definitely strengthened a few areas. But you could have the best of teams but might not get the results, some times. They have brought out the best in most of their players. The whole orchestra has come together well and is playing in harmony.

FP: Let’s talk about the Mumbai Indians now. They of course had their 6-match unbeaten streak snapped by the Gujarat Titans in the last match, but it’s sometimes mind-boggling to see them stage comebacks, like they have this season. Once again, it has been a fascinating one to watch. They have had really bad starts in the past and then gone on to win the title as well. They are once again among the title favourites this time. What is it about this team that allows them to do that?

AC: I have always felt that – ‘Jassi jaisa koi nahin’. The moment Jasprit Bumrah comes in, you see an immediate impact. Though to be fair, he was playing last season also (MI finished 10th in 2024). This season, the moment he joined the team, the bowling attack began to look completely different. It’s menacing. I think I said this on-air as well – the MI opponents from the first over are having to counter Trent Boult, then Deepak Chahar, then Jasprit Bumrah comes on, then Hardik Pandya takes the ball. Then they have Corbin Bosch also bowling for them. There is no respite for any batter. The unit was the same earlier as well, but there’s no denying the fact that since Jasprit has come in, the bowling looks absolutely menacing. And that makes a massive difference.

Another factor that is helping them is Surya’s form in the middle (510 runs in 12 innings at an average of 63.75 till match No. 56 vs GT). Rohit (Sharma) has struck good form also now and Ryan Rickelton has become more consistent (336 runs in 12 innings at an average of 30.54 till match No. 56 vs GT). It’s his first season.

It sometimes boils down to one department having a positive impact on the other. Good bowling might rub off on the batting or the other way around. Look at the number of captains in that team – Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, there is a Mitchell Santner (NZ white-ball captain). There’s a very senior bowler in Trent Boult. Wherever you look you will spot country (international) captains. Once that little glimmer of hope goes your way, you can just hold on to it and pull the entire sunshine towards you.

FP: Talking about MI - it’s a very interesting dynamic that we get to see in the IPL vis-a-vis ODI cricket these days - Hardik is Rohit’s captain at MI and Rohit is Hardik’s captain in ODIs. As someone who sees the game up close and personal, how do you read that?

AC: Last season when I was doing commentary, I actually saw Surya managing the field, while Hardik was bowling. And Surya is the current India T20I captain. We are all human beings, at the end of the day. For anyone to come to terms with it can be difficult.

But it’s up to the people involved to understand that these are the dynamics that they have to play with and the earlier they come to terms with it, the better it is. It is of, course, a very individual effort – to come to terms with it. Someone says – ‘oh, I don’t have a problem with it.’ My response to that is – ‘You don’t have a problem with it, but are you happy?’ And if someone says – ‘I am happy’, then great. That person has evolved, as per the situation.

I am not saying it’s either good or bad. No one is saying it’s either good or bad. Last season MI didn’t do well and many people said – ‘it’s because of Hardik Pandya and poor Rohit Sharma.’ – No, it’s just because they didn’t play well. And they started the same way this season as well. But now there are no chinks, as such, in their armour. It’s always up to the individual – how they manage to make sure that no amount of unhappiness or unpleasantness settles in in individual friendships or individual performance. The human element is a factor.

FP: Why couldn’t the Chennai Super Kings do what the Mumbai Indians have done, particularly this season?

AC: They didn’t have a great start to the tournament. Ruturaj (Gaikwad) was batting at Number. 3, which was very surprising. It’s like Rishabh (Pant) batting at Number. 4. Why should Ruturaj be batting down the order? He should be opening. Then of course him picking up an injury didn’t help.

Then (Devon) Conway and Rachin Ravindra – both of them not really delivering, not really getting off the blocks – that was also a challenge. In the middle order also – look at Deepak Hooda’s performances. What is he there for? Even if your top order is not delivering, your middle order can consolidate. Ravindra Jadeja is around, but someone like a Shivam Dube is being used as an ‘Impact Player’ – so, no middle-order contribution, as such, also. Once the batting started faltering, the bowling began to look very ordinary.

CSK were chasing a perfect XI for the longest time. Whenever a franchise is chasing a perfect XI, they will never have a good season. The kind of XI or XII that Gujarat Titans have managed to maintain for instance – CSK hasn’t been able to do. And when your playing XI or XII doesn’t change, that makes a huge difference.

FP: Do you think one of the fundamental flaws in planning for CSK was the fact that they didn’t groom a second rung of leadership, as such? Every time something happens to a designated captain other than MSD, Dhoni has to come back to lead, but he can’t go on forever…

AC: Ruturaj was CSK’s designated captain (after MS Dhoni). Some time in 2021 or 2022, I wrote a piece in which I said that the day MS Dhoni hangs up his boots, Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead CSK. And that was Ruturaj’s second or third IPL season. Someone disagreed with me and said – ‘No, no, no’. I said – ‘ok. Time will tell, but according to me Ruturaj is the next CSK leader.’

In the middle they went to Ravindra Jadeja, because I think that year Dhoni was nursing a knee injury. So, they did identify a leader, but sadly he picked up an injury this season. You can have a bad season or two, but you have to grow as a franchise leader. And that is what they had identified with Ruturaj and I think they will go ahead with Ruturaj in the next few years, as well.

FP: Do you also think that teams are bound in a big way by the image factor? MS Dhoni for instance is a huge brand in himself and the overall valuation of CSK is dependent to a large extent on him being in the squad. Is there then somewhat unfair pressure on someone to continue to play on, whether his body is allowing him to do that freely or not?

AC: The IPL is in its 18th year. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja – these are players who have grown with the IPL. But there will come a time when these players will not be there. The IPL hasn’t seen that era yet and no one has even thought in that direction. But there will come a time when these players will not be a part of the IPL anymore. As far as the brands and sponsors are concerned, they will find some way.

Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, is still associated with the Mumbai Indians, similarly there will be a way for Dhoni to be associated with CSK after he stops playing also. And that time will come. Today, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are the young kids on the block and in the next auction they will be the ones who will be commanding the biggest auction price. Someone like Arshdeep Singh will be sold for an exorbitant price, unless he is retained of course. Gujarat Titans will hold back someone like Shubman Gill.

So, the kind of auction price that we saw Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer command, we will see these players getting sums like that. The next auction - three-four other players will come through into that bracket. The one good thing we have seen this time is that barring SRH, every other team has an Indian captain, which is very good to see. Indian leadership.

FP: Sometimes people who have been associated with something for a long time get a sort of sixth sense feeling about certain things. As someone who has been associated with the IPL for a decade now, does this feel like a season that could potentially see a first-time champion? There’s RCB, PBKS, an outside chance perhaps for DC?

AC: I do feel that if Delhi Capitals can get their act together and if Punjab Kings can continue the good work that they have been doing, or even RCB - one of these teams can walk away with the title.