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Sunil Gavaskar lauded Virat Kohli after his ninth IPL hundred against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, saying he proved “the old generation is still the best” and made a strong statement amid the season’s ‘Gen Next’ buzz.

The former India captain praised Kohli’s resilience in the T20 format and said the senior batter continues to dominate. Kohli’s unbeaten century in Raipur on Wednesday powered RCB to the top of the table after a successful chase of 193.

Sunil Gavaskar praises Virat Kohli’s chase against KKR

Gavaskar said Kohli once again showed why he remains one of the finest chasers in the game. He said the veteran knows how to build an innings in pressure situations and control a chase better than most batters in world cricket.

"Virat Kohli was absolutely outstanding against KKR. He knows how to construct a chase better than most," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Gavaskar on Kohli and the ‘Gen Next’ debate

Gavaskar said the 2026 IPL season has largely been seen as a breakthrough year for young players, but Kohli’s century served as a reminder that the experienced stars are still leading from the front.

"While everyone was talking about this being the season of 'Gen Next', Kohli showed he is still around. He silenced the doubters with a century and moved to third in the Orange Cap race. He proved that the old generation is still the best."

He also spoke about Kohli’s remarkable T20 numbers and said his achievements will remain difficult to match for years.

"When it comes to T20 centuries, he is third on the list with 10, behind Chris Gayle and Babar Azam. But he is the fastest to 14,000 T20 runs and has nine IPL hundreds. Records are there to be broken, but it will take a very long time for anyone to match what Kohli keeps delivering, game after game, season after season," he said.

Kohli continues to shine after T20I retirement

Even after retiring from T20 internationals almost two years back, Kohli continues to deliver in the shortest format. The same was seen in Raipur when RCB were chasing a stiff target of 193 against KKR.

Kohli stood tall with an unbeaten 105 runs off 60 deliveries, including 11 fours and 3 sixes. The knock also pushed him to third in the Orange Cap standings. He now has 484 runs in 12 matches at a marvellous strike rate of 165.75, continuing his excellent run in IPL 2026.

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