Former Australian cricket star Matthew Hayden has hailed Virat Kohli as “high-octane,” likening the Indian captain’s on-field presence to the sheer power and speed of a Ferrari.
“Virat is high octane, he's a Ferrari. He's full noise, he'll be gesturing to the crowd. You'll have Jiostar that'll be focusing on everything he does on the cricket field. And everything is so big that it's hard not to polarise your views on it because he's so bloody good,” Hayden said speaking on the All Over Bar The Cricket YouTube channel.
The former opener said Kohli’s return to the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia will draw all attention back to him.
Kohli, who recently retired from Tests and T20Is, will be representing India for the first time since the Champions Trophy 2025, where he played a crucial role in the team’s title triumph.
The former Australian opener also lauded Kohli’s exceptional ODI record and supreme fitness levels, calling him a “gold star” for his meticulous preparation.
“He has played 302 matches and got 14,000 runs and what about this average in One-day cricket, it's unbelievable. His key is that he is a gold star with his fitness and preparation. In my head, I've got him focusing on 2027 (World Cup). He wants to be a part of that,” Hayden added.
The batting maestro has indicated his desire to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup, though chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently said that both Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain non-committal about their participation.
Kohli’s comeback will take him back to one of his most successful hunting grounds — Australia — where he has scored 1,327 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of nearly 51.90, including five centuries and six fifties.
His record reflects his adaptability and consistency against one of the toughest bowling attacks in world cricket.
