Virat Kohli Laughs Off His Younger Self's Comments on Chris Gayle in IPL 2011 Interview

In a lighthearted moment on Wednesday, Virat Kohli couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably as he watched footage of his younger self from the 2011 IPL, where he made a playful yet candid comment about his then Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Chris Gayle.

Virat Kohli

The 36-year-old, currently one of the most recognized names in world cricket, was shown a clip of his acceptance speech after winning his first Player of the Match award during RCB's match against the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) 14 years ago. This was the match where Kohli, then 22, had played a crucial knock of 56 runs off 38 balls, guiding his team to a successful chase of 162 runs.

During the post-match conference, a young Kohli had explained how he took on the role of aggressor in the partnership with Gayle, who was known for his explosive batting style. "To be honest, I did not plan to bat like that. But when I started to hit the ball well, I took charge from Chris. That was the plan in the middle so that he could play himself in, and I could go for my shots because I was hitting it well," he had said.

Fast forward to 2025, and when Kohli was shown that interview during a conversation on 18 Calling 18 on JioHotstar, he couldn’t help but mock his younger self. Upon hearing his comment about Gayle, he burst into laughter. "Chris could play himself in? Waah! Ghalat fehmi dekh lo (Look at the misunderstanding)!" Kohli said with a chuckle.

While slightly embarrassed by his youthful commentary, Kohli joked about how much the nature of interviews and quotes has changed with the advent of social media. "Since the social media boom, fans have started analyzing players' quotes, and it gets twisted way too much," he added, highlighting how perspectives around such quotes have evolved over the years.

The video served as a humorous and reflective moment for Kohli, who now looks back at his early days in IPL with fondness, even if the comments from that time might sound slightly amusing today.