Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Liam Livingstone has revealed the experience of sharing the dressing room with legendary batter Virat Kohli, saying that the Indian star’s off-field life is different from his on-field aggressive personality. He was associated with RCB during the IPL-winning campaign in 2025. According to him, Kohli is tired of the public attention that he has been getting for the better part of the last decade.
Speaking on The Overlap Cricket YouTube channel, he highlighted the difference between the two aspects of Virat’s personality.
“He has amazing. I have played against him, and he always laughs,” Livingstone said.
“He will target you if you target him. He is competitive on the field, but the moment he moves away from the field, he is a different person. He is a nice and chill guy who likes to spend time with his family,” he added.
“He doesn’t want the life that he lives in India. He doesn’t want the eyes on him. He is a genuinely nice guy.”
Livingstone mentioned that Kohli is the most competitive guy on the field. “When he is in the middle, he is the most competitive guy I have seen.”
Former India captain has shifted his base to London to maintain a low profile. He returned to play international cricket and the Indian Premier League.
Livingstone also credited the RCB team management for getting the best out of Virat Kohli. He has been playing aggressive cricket since the last two seasons and has improved his strike rate to win matches for the franchise.
In the IPL 2026, he scored 675 runs at a strike rate of 165.84. He took high risk in the powerplay overs and went all out against the spinners.
“Mo (Bobat) and Andy (Flower) changed the way Virat played. They were brave to make that change,” Livingstone revealed.
“They told him to play more aggressive cricket and go for the big shots from the start of the innings. He is playing differently in the powerplay overs since the last two seasons. He is going after the spinners, which was not the case earlier.”
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. He is expected to return to action in the ODI series against England in July.
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