The Punjab Kings star Marcus Stoinis has praised veteran batter Virat Kohli, calling him an inspiration not only for Indian Cricketers but for the entire cricketing community.
Reflecting on his relationship with Virat Kohli, Stoinis has emphasised how the Indian batter has set an unmatched standard of fitness and dedication for aspiring cricketers worldwide.
Despite not winning an IPL title in 17 years since the beginning of the tournament, he has amassed multiple records, establishing himself as one of the league’s greatest players.
Speaking to the media after PBKS win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, Marcus Stoinis expresses his admiration for Kohli cricketing journey, which he has closely followed since their days at the 2008 U19 World Cup.
“We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve got a mutual friend in Perth that has known him for a long time as well. So that’s sort of how that relationship started. But yeah, what a great career it’s been so far.”
“It’s definitely not finished. It seems like he’s worn a few caps throughout his career in terms of being the young guy coming into an Indian team that forced his way in there at such a young age and showed such confidence in himself to crack into such a good team to then leading the team and almost changing the whole culture of Indian cricket and inspiring a lot of the young cricketers around India and around the world,” Stoinis said.
“And then a whole new phase of the fitness side of things as well that he inspired in the Indian set-up to now mentoring the new kids on the block. And he’s got his family now as well.”
“I think all of those phases have served a purpose, not only for himself, but as a mentor for the wider public and the cricket community. So always hats off to him, to be honest,” Marcus Stoinis added.
Virat Kohli who led to victory in the 2008 U19 World Cup, also came up against Marcus Stoinis who was part of the Australia team in the tournament.
Reflecting on his experiences, Marcus Stoinis also lauded young Indian talents particularly those in Punjab Kings and highlighted how the IPL has played a vital role in nurturing them and preparing them for international cricket.
“There’s great depth here (in Indian cricket)_. There always has been. And I think they’re getting the chance to show their skills on a world stage…They are super confident.”
“They’ve had almost the advantage of growing up with IPL, being under pressure from early stages in their career. It’s brilliant to see how fearless they are with their cricket and especially (while playing for) Indian cricket (team),” Stoinis concluded.
With Virat Kohli marks his 18th IPL season, they secured a dominant victory in the 2025 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders and will be facing Chennai Super Kings on March 28 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
