Star batter Virat Kohli stole the show in Royal Challengers Bengaluruโs high-voltage clash against Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The veteran smacked 81 runs off 44 balls as the hosts registered a comfortable five-wicket win. In the process, Kohli struck eight fours and with that, he became the first player in IPL history to reach 800 boundaries.
The former RCB captain also became the third cricketer, after Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma, to hit 300 sixes in the cash-rich tournament.ย
Kohli lauds Devdutt Padikkal after the game
Chasing 206 runs, RCB lost the wicket of Jacob Bethell early. The England international played in the absence of Phil Salt, who is currently dealing with an injury. Bethell, meanwhile, made 14 runs and after his dismissal, Devdutt Padikkal joined Kohli in the middle. The duo launched a scathing attack, stitching a partnership of 117 runs, which took Gujarat out of the contest.ย
Padikkal made 55 runs off 27 balls during his stay at the crease, as it was his strikes in the powerplay that impressed Kohli, who lauded RCBโs number three after winning the Player of the Match award. During his speech, the Delhi-born also credited the bowlers for their fantastic job, as he felt that GT were on course to score around 230 at one stage.
โPadikkal has done this twice this season. This is quite rare, to be honest. His innings was the clear difference. I was trying to be in the game. That partnership was the game-changer,โ Kohli said in the post-match presentation.ย
โOur bowlers did a magnificent job. The spinners were not able to get the grip. Once you get hold of conditions, they you back yourself. The message was very clear. We had to go for it. We didn’t have any doubts. The body language comes from the belief. We have guys who can hurt bowlers. We have the cricket smarts of Krunal. You can see in his bowling. The combination gives us a lot of confidence,โ he added.
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