Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Liam Livingstone opined that Virat Kohli might be a fierce competitor on the field and someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, but outside of it, he is someone who wants to stay away from all the limelight.

Livingstone, who played IPL 2026 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, said that Kohli likes to spend time with his family and wants to keep his personal life away from the public eye.

“He was amazing. I’d always played against Virat, and he’s always laughing. If you want to have a go at someone, he’ll have a go back at you. But on the field, he’s ultra-competitive. As soon as he steps over that line, he’s a different person. But, on the field, he is a really nice, chill guy, and loves spending time with his family. Very chilled out guy,” Livingstone said while speaking on The Overlap Cricket YouTube channel.

“Almost like he doesn’t want that life, he lives in India. He doesn’t really want the eye on him all the time. He is a genuinely nice guy,” he added.

Livingstone shared the RCB dressing room with Kohli during IPL 2025. However, after a disappointing season, he was released by the franchise, and Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him up.

“When he gets out onto the pitch, he is the most competitive player I have seen,” Livingstone said while reiterating Kohli’s fierce persona when he is playing.

Livingstone also revealed that RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and head coach Andy Flower were the ones who asked Kohli to be aggressive inside the power play. In IPL 2026, the former India captain finished with a staggering strike rate of 165.85, his best in a particular season of the cash-rich league.

“Mo [Bobat] and Andy [Flower] went in and changed the way he played. They were brave enough to do that,” Livingstone revealed.

“They asked him to be a bit more aggressive, hit more sixes, and keep going with that aggression in the powerplay. You see the way he plays now in the powerplay, and he’s way more aggressive than he used to be. Even against spin, he’s playing more shots than he ever did,” Livingstone added.

Afghanistan are set to face India in a one-off Test match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, starting on Saturday, June 6. Hashmatullah Shahidi is going to lead the Blue Tigers against a strong Indian side.

Shahidi was asked about talismanic leg-spinner Rashid Khan’s future in Test cricket. While Rashid hasn’t retired from the longest format yet, he has limited himself to playing only one Test match a year. Shahidi said that the Gujarat Titans’ vice-captain and the selectors will decide on Rashid’s availability in red-ball cricket.

“Rashid has done well in the Tests (45 wickets in 6 Tests) that he has played. Personally, I haven’t spoken to Rashid about whether he will play Tests again or not. He had discussions with the selectors and I don’t want to talk about that,” Shahidi was quoted as saying at the press conference on Thursday.

Shahidi emphasised the need for Afghanistan to play more Test matches against the top teams so that they can get better in the format. He admitted that playing, on average, only two Tests a year has been a significant impediment for Afghan cricket since they made their debut in 2018.

“We played India in 2018. We have more experience now, but we need to play more to build our Test team. When it comes to domestic cricket, we play six to seven red-ball games, but in Tests we get only one or two games a year,” Shahidi said.

However, Shahidi disagreed when asked whether the young talents in Afghanistan are solely focused on playing only franchise tournaments.

“Everyone knows that our guys do very well in franchise leagues and if you see, our white-ball performances have been good. But even then, we have a lot of talent in Afghanistan who are waiting for their chance,” said Shahidi.

While the conditions are going to be hot and humid during the solitary Test match, the left-handed batter asserted that his team has what it takes to deal with such conditions.

“We had a camp in Jalalabad in Afghanistan and also played a tournament. The temperature was 35 degrees there, so we are well equipped to handle the heat,” he said.

Rajkumar Sharma, who was Virat Kohli’s coach during his childhood days, called Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a special cricketer and explained what makes him stand out from other players of his age.

Sooryavanshi took the cricket fraternity by storm during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as he finished with a whopping 776 runs in 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.31. He won the Orange Cap and also became the Most Valuable Player (MVP).

“Well, he is an exceptional talent undoubtedly. I mean, the way he has played in this IPL is remarkable. The way he has hit all the first-class, international and world-class bowlers, that is commendable and I must say that he is a special talent. I really find Vaibhav very good. The type of fearless cricket he plays and the way he has hit world-class bowlers is commendable. The way he has hit those sixes is just unbelievable, for T20 cricket, he is just brilliant,” Sharma was quoted as saying by India Today.

Sharma said that Sooryavanshi shouldn’t change his game while playing T20 cricket as everything is working well for him. However, he refused to comment on the 15-year-old’s future in Test cricket as he hasn’t seen much of him till now.

“Since he is playing T20, I would say don’t change anything. Just go and play like this, the way you are playing. You are playing tremendous cricket and the way you are hitting, keep on hitting the ball and entertaining the people. When it comes to playing Test cricket, I haven’t seen enough of him to judge how mature he is, how he can change his game, how he can leave the ball outside the off stump or how he can play swing bowling. But for now, I want him to continue the way he is playing,” Sharma stated.

Sharma, however, urged caution when it came to comparisons with Kohli, who he has seen from close quarters since the legendary batter’s childhood days.

“I don’t believe in comparing people. What Virat has done in the last 18 years, I mean it’s a very long period that he has been so consistent. But looking at Vaibhav, he looks very good, a very talented guy and he has got good temperament also, which he showed in the last game. So, I mean he is a brilliant talent undoubtedly, but we have just seen him playing in this format only. We are yet to see him play in bigger formats, maybe Test cricket or One-Day cricket,” Sharma explained.

“Virat is a different player (from Sooryavanshi). He is a legend now. He is a great player, which he has proved by winning so many matches. No Indian has won as many matches for India as Virat has, and that is why he is loved so much. Here we see a rising star (Sooryavanshi) and we really love to see him grow,” he added.

Sharma also mentioned that Sooryavanshi’s fitness should not be viewed as a concern and he will only get better as his career progresses.

“No, fitness will come. He is still a baby and he has got superpower. That is the brilliant thing about him,” Sharma said.