New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy has praised Virat Kohli for his down-to-earth personality, revealing that the Indian batting superstar made a lasting impression on him during their time together at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026.
Duffy, who shared the RCB dressing room with Kohli, said he was impressed by the way the former India captain welcomed overseas players despite being regarded as one of the biggest sporting icons in India.
Speaking to the media in Auckland on Sunday, Duffy recalled his interactions with Kohli and described the experience of sharing a dressing room with him as special.
"Obviously, for such a religious figure, I guess you almost say, in India – he's obviously a megastar over there – for him to be so down-to-earth and sort of welcome all us overseas guys in RCB was pretty cool," Duffy said.
The New Zealand pacer also revealed that he regularly bowled to Kohli during RCB's net sessions, giving both players an opportunity to understand each other's game ahead of their international contest.
"I bowled a lot to him in the nets because he was always the first batter and I was always the first bowler. We actually spent a lot of time facing each other in the nets, so that's quite cool," he added.
Duffy further explained that Kohli shared valuable insights about bowling strategies and the different playing conditions in India. Their conversations often revolved around the finer details of bowling, particularly the lines and lengths required on different Indian pitches.
"He's got a great work ethic. I guess we talk a lot about fine details. We talk about certain wickets back in India. Certain wickets are quite different, so he talked a lot about the different lines and lengths on those kind of wickets and how he adjusts and how he thinks I could be adjusting on those ones too," Duffy said.
The New Zealand fast bowler is now looking forward to testing himself against Kohli on the international stage as India and New Zealand prepare to begin their ODI series in Auckland on Wednesday.
Duffy Focused on ODI World Cup Preparations
Meanwhile, Duffy also highlighted the importance of the upcoming ODI series as New Zealand begin building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
The right-arm pacer expressed his fondness for the 50-over format, explaining that it offers a different challenge for fast bowlers, particularly during the opening and closing stages of an innings.
"Personally, I quite like ODI cricket. What I like about it is that up top, you get a little bit of the hard lengths with the swinging ball and stuff like that. Then you get a little bit of the hit and giggle near the end," he said.
Duffy also revealed that playing in an ODI World Cup has been a long-standing ambition, having grown up watching the 2015 and 2019 editions of the tournament.
"Growing up watching the 2015 World Cup, 2019 World Cup, those, to me, are the pinnacles of our game. Those are the major events that I grew up watching and strived for and wanted to be there for those," he added.
With the 2027 World Cup approaching, Duffy believes the upcoming matches against India will be crucial in strengthening his case for a place in New Zealand's squad.
"Obviously, a year out from that, I think these games play a pretty important role. I guess we're trying to build and push for a case to make that squad," he concluded.
