On Thursday, Virat Kohli made history at Dharamshala. He hit 92 runs off 47 balls with a strike rate of 195.74, including seven fours and six sixes, to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru reach 241/7 in 20 overs. Additionally, Rajat Patidar (age 55) and Cameron Green (age 46) made significant contributions.
Subsequently, he executed an incredible run out in the second innings, forcing the vital Shashank Singh (37), back to the dugout. After taking three wickets, Mohammed Siraj led the Punjab Kings to a 17-over total of 181. Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, and Swapnil Singh all claimed two wickets apiece for the RCB bowling unit.
Considering Shashank’s performance this season, his removal was essential as wickets were slipping for PBKS. Ferguson hit a hard-length delivery at the stumps to striker Sam Curran, who was on strike in the 14th over’s fourth delivery. He steered it through midwicket, calling for a double before going for a single. Shashank retaliated, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, Kohli charged in from the boundary and struck the bowler squarely.
The moment the RCB players started to celebrate and the ruling was sent upstairs, along with OUT being flashed on the big screen, was breathtaking. After Shashank was out of the game, PBKS reached 151/6 in 13.4 overs. Kohli’s lightning-fast pace in finishing the direct hit also astounded the crowd.
With 634 runs in 12 matches, a century, five fifties, and a strike rate of 153.51, Kohli leads the Orange Cap competition.
With 10 points after 12 games, RCB is ranked sixth in the IPL 2024 points standings. They can earn a maximum of 14 points in their final two games. Other outcomes also need to be met for them to qualify for the playoffs.
Virat Kohli’s response after the game
After the game, Kohli made the following statement: “I know I need to take risks; it takes a little conviction. I’ve been able to avoid thinking about it. For myself and the squad, I’m attempting to maintain the strike rate. Being honest with oneself is the only way to go through a tournament. We just had an open discussion despite our recent string of losses. We had to put on our stockings.”
“The match against KKR was quite close. Our goal was to compete for our own dignity. We just cannot play in such a manner and let our supporters down. We are back on track and feeling confident. If we had performed well early in the tournament, we wouldn’t have needed to rely on a number of other factors,” he continued.
