Former Virat Kohli has revealed the toughest bowlers he has faced across all three formats during an event. The veteran batter is currently representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League 2026 season and is the franchise’s leading run-scorer.
During the event, Kohli was asked to name the toughest bowlers he had faced in each format. He picked Adil Rashid in ODIs, James Anderson in Tests in England, and Sunil Narine in T20Is.
“(The toughest bowler I’ve faced) In ODIs, it would be Adil Rashid, in Test cricket, it would be James Anderson in England, and in T20s, it would be Sunil Narine,” Kohli said at the RCB innovation lab.
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As Virat Kohli mentioned, Adil Rashid has been one of the toughest bowlers he has faced in ODIs. The English leg-spinner has claimed 242 wickets in 161 matches, including 10 four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. Kohli has faced Rashid in 10 ODI innings, with the spinner dismissing him five times, highlighting the challenging battle between the two.
In Test cricket, Kohli named James Anderson, especially in English conditions. Anderson, regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history, has taken 704 wickets in 188 Test matches. The two legends faced each other in 36 Test innings, where Anderson dismissed Kohli seven times. However, Kohli also enjoyed success against the veteran seamer, scoring at an impressive average of 43.57.
For T20Is, Kohli picked Sunil Narine. Narine has taken 52 wickets in T20Is and an incredible 626 wickets in 594 T20 matches overall. In 22 T20 innings against Narine, Kohli was dismissed four times. Despite these challenges, Kohli remains one of cricket’s greatest batters, with 9,230 Test runs, 14,797 ODI runs, 4,188 T20I runs, and a record 9,203 runs in the IPL.
The run machine can be seen in action on May 22 in IPL 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad as they move on to the playoffs with positive mindset to defend their title.
