In the autumn of his splendid career, before the inevitable cold dread of winter sets in, Virat Kohli has found a new meter in his batting. The high octave of the six, a stroke that he once employed as a means to an end, but now unfurled as an act of pure expression.He has struck sixes before – 715 across formats. But never at the frenetic frequency he is hitting them now. Since South Africa’s visit to India at the end of last year, he has struck one every 153rd ball (153.5 to be exact). Since then, in 13 games, every 25th ball has travelled beyond the ropes. The interval matters, because it is Kohli, inarguably the greatest to have played this format. It also matters, because there is no more fascinating sportsperson than one that is not only redefining, but reinterpreting himself.He has struck sixes before, too. But seldom with this spontaneous joy. Six was not a fetish; the four was his weapon of destruction. It sufficed, because he could hit them where he willed to, when he wanted to, and who he desired to. He scored more runs from fours than even the most savage six-hitter from sixes. The sixes were not forced or strained. But he seemed to derive more joy from a backfoot-punched four than a slogged six. Maybe it was what Kohli loved the most. But age changes tastes and perceptions.Watch, admire and bow down. The King is in a league of his own! Watch the HERO VIDA India Tour of New Zealand 1st ODI, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network TV channels, Sony Vizha and Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyVizha #SonyLIV #NZvIND https://t.co/7oH282Q1oF— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) November 4, 2026His epic 133 not out against Sri Lanka in Hobart featured only two; his imperious unbeaten 183 against Pakistan in Mirpur contained a solitary six. But nine sixes sprinkled his most recent of 55 ODI hundreds, an unbeaten 133 against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. Maximums account for 19.3 percent of his runs in this phase; before this six-spree, he had hit five-plus sixes only once in 293 outings. He has hit nine sixes and seven sixes twice each in his next 13 innings. Only four times has he not hit a six in an innings in this span (two of them were single-digit scores). It could be a natural outcome of him batting at the highest tempo ever in his career, a strike rate hugging 120, as opposed to a mean of 94.4.Beyond BoundariesHe has struck sixes before too. But sans this enthusiasm. He hit great sixes, but was not a great hitter of sixes. Now, he is both. The routes and methods have not changed. The staple option is waltzing down the track and hitting the bowler, often the seamer, over his head, in the arc between long-on and long-off. The pull is the other favourite. He was always a good puller, but unless deep into the game, he often rode the bounce and played them along the ground. These days, he sways a little to his right and glides them over fine-leg if the ball strays onto his body at a suitable height. Or he gets under them, swivels and flays them in front of the square. The six in Auckland was a classic example. He got into the position early, pivoted his weight on his back foot, got under the ball, fetched it from outside the off-stump, transferred his weight seamlessly into the shot and turned the body with the stroke. Several maximums in the West Indies series were pulled too, but often behind square, using the bowlers’ pace.Also Read | Virat Kohli pulls, flicks and charms a rain-hit chase in AucklandThe six, now, captures his mood, freed from the burden of playing all formats. The six captures his lightness of mind. The fight against the world has ended; he is at peace with himself. He explained his six-hitting rationale after the Thiruvananthapuram ODI against West Indies: “When I play freely, then I know I can hit sixes. So, I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk. Just push my own boundaries and see where we go.” His liberation after a torrid period of drought began with a six-laden T20I hundred (122: six sixes) in Dubai in 2022. Two months later, he stroked the most defining brace of sixes in his life, against Pakistan at MCG. Virat Kohli guided India to a win in 1st ODI vs New Zealand. (AP)He has struck sixes before. But they weren’t a measure of his evolution. After nearly two decades as the best player in the world, he somehow retains the capacity to surprise. No matter how certain you are that he has reached the outer limit of his talent, he can find another boundary, another edge. Often it’s the other way around; batsmen reduce their big shots as they age. Kohli chose the inverse path. The transformation has been smooth. Kohli always had the ability to hit sixes and knew their worth. It’s just that he is relishing it more now.The fours mark the spring of youthful days; the sixes embody the carefreeness of his autumnal bloom.Story continues below this adOld shots, new swaggerVirat Kohli has not changed much of his fundamentals, just that he gets into positions early and is more daring. He has not added new shots, but utilising those that he has wisely and effectively.The pull has been one of his favourite strokes. Once he used to play those along the ground, now he gets under them and hits them in front of the square or glides them over fine-leg.The sight of his charging down the deck to the seamers is a common sight. In his younger days, he used to drive them through cover for fours. Now, he blitzes them over their head.