3 min readApr 3, 2026 05:04 PM IST
Legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has heaped praise on Virat Kohli, praising him for his recent white-ball form and how he has remained consistent in coloured clothing, when his career seemed like sliding away.
The 37-year-old began his IPL 2026 campaign by scoring an unbeaten 69 not out to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase down Sunrisers Hyderabad’s target of 201 runs in the season opener.
“Virat Kohli, you think he is starting to get a little bit long in the tooth, but his white-ball form of late has been absolutely incredible. 69 again not out, got Royal Challengers home, chasing 201,” McGrath said on “The Fast Bowling Cartel” podcast.
The 56-year-old also noted how teams have been opting to chase after winning the toss in the IPL so far, and added how the par scores have risen exponentially since the time he played in the league.
“It has been a funny start to the IPL. The one thing I have noticed is that every team that has won has won the toss and fielded first.”
“I played the first two seasons of the IPL. 165-170 was like a par score. You felt you could defend it. Now 220, you are thinking, ‘Have I got enough runs on the board?’ Scoring rates in the IPL has definitely changed. The team batting second just back themselves,” McGrath said.
The former Australian pacer admitted that he was a fan of Gujarat Titans pacer Prasidh Krishna and expressed surprise at how Shubman Gill used him in the match against the Punjab Kings.
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“I am a fan of Prasidh Krishna. We saw a little bit of the last Test in Australia, where India were here. I have done a little bit of work with him in India at the MRF Pace Foundation. 3/29, but they brought him on like the fifth bowler of something, I think they just let it get away a bit.”
“When he was at the MRF Pace Foundation, where he is now, he has come along in leaps and bounds. I just think he is stronger, bowls at a good pace. He bowls a lot shorter, more hit-the-deck type of length, a little bit short of a length in the IPL I was watching last year. He (Krishna) is a handful. I think he is an exceptional bowler,” McGrath said.
