Cricket | 'We’ve matured. Things are different now': Bhuvneshwar Kumar on how Virat Kohli has changed over the years

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has seen plenty of change in Virat Kohli — both as a cricketer and as a person. Fresh from playing a pivotal role in RCB’s historic IPL 2025 triumph, the 35-year-old opened up on how his conversations with the star batter have shifted from playful banter to family matters.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking on the podcast Talk with Manvendra, Bhuvneshwar revealed that the bond between him and Kohli has matured with time.

“Things are different now. When we meet these days, we talk more about family or off-the-ground matters because everyone has a family now. We talk about how we are doing in life other than cricket. Earlier, when we weren’t married and were younger, it was more about the usual fun and jokes boys have.

So that’s where the change has come,” Bhuvneshwar said.On the field, however, he insisted professionalism remains the driving force. “We never really need that bond to perform well. If RCB has picked me, Virat, or any other player, they want us to perform regardless of friendship. Everyone knows what they have to do on the ground. But off the ground, of course, things have changed. We’ve matured, we’ve grown older, so now the conversations are different,” he added.

Bhuvneshwar enjoyed a strong season, taking 17 wickets in 14 matches, while Kohli amassed 657 runs in 15 innings. The pacer also lauded Rajat Patidar’s leadership during RCB’s title-winning run.“The best part was that since it was such an experienced team, Rajat didn’t have to do much. Where leadership was needed, he took decisions without hesitation. That’s a quality — knowing when to step in and when to let things be,” Bhuvneshwar said.He credited RCB’s balanced contributions for breaking their 18-year title drought. “This time, the biggest difference was that all players in the XI won matches at different times, in different situations. You can’t win a big tournament relying on just one or two players. Bowlers stepped up in some games, batters in others. In every stage, a new player emerged to win it for us,” he concluded.