Watch- Virat Kohli’s Mindset Of Attacking Jasprit Bumrah Explained By Manoj Tiwary

Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah faced off for the first time in IPL 2025 when RCB took on MI at the Wankhede Stadium on April 7. Kohli welcomed him by attacking him from the start and hit him for a six as well.

Former India batsman Manoj Tiwary explained why Virat Kohli attacked Jasprit Bumrah right away. When the Mumbai Indians hosted the Bengaluru-based team, Jasprit Bumrah made his comeback after missing over three months of action.

Jasprit Bumrah was expected by the cricket community to have an immediate impact with the ball and turn around his team's declining fortunes.

Virat Kohli attacks Jasprit Bumrah from the get-go

When Virat Kohli chose to target his India teammate from the very beginning, the cricketing community was completely taken aback. Batsmen typically exercise caution while facing the opposition's top bowlers, but Virat Kohli made a different decision.

The RCB star struck a six off the first ball he encountered from Bumrah. To bowl the fourth over, Bumrah was added to the attack.

Kohli quickly made a statement as Devdutt Padikkal took a single on the opening delivery of the over to give him the strike. A shortish-length delivery from Bumrah was followed by a six from Kohli over the deep mid-wicket boundary.

“It shows Virat Kohli’s mindset”- Manoj Tiwary

Virat Kohli became the buzz of the town after hitting a six off the first delivery he faced from Bumrah. The crowd began praising him profusely for his audacious declaration. Additionally, Manoj Tiwary has now clarified why Kohli chose to attack Bumrah right away.

The former cricket player remembered the chat he had with Kohli in 2017 while he was a member of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in an interview with Cricbuzz. According to Tiwary, Kohli loves to send a statement by attacking the opposition's top bowler.

"I remember that moment back in 2017 when I was playing for RPS. I went up to him and asked, 'How do you consistently score runs?' In that discussion, he said something then — and he still says it now — 'I attack the opposition’s best bowler'. It sends a message to the bowler and to the entire opposition," said Tiwary on Cricbuzz.

Here is the video:

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Kohli helped his team win by 12 runs after scoring 67 runs against the Mumbai Indians. In contrast, Bumrah gave up 29 runs in 4 overs without claiming a wicket.

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