Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan gave Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli a lot of credit after his exciting innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2023 Match 65. RCB beat SRH by eight wickets in a game that both teams had to win. Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis both had great games.
While trying to beat a score of 186 runs, Kohli and Faf raised the stakes and took off running from the start of the game. The two of them put up a record 172 runs together, which helped RCB get to the finish line with ease.
Faf, the captain, hit 71 runs off of 47 balls, but it was Kohli who was at his best and hit a 100 off of 63 balls, with four sixes and 12 fours. Zaheer Khan, a former pacer for RCB, was very impressed by Kohli’s huge innings. He said that Kohli built a good foundation even though he was under pressure to make the playoffs.
“Whenever Virat gets to hit fours early, he hit four or five fours in his first two overs. Twenty of the 22 runs he got were fours. He made a strong base and then went into the zone. We thought we were going to see something special, and we did.
“Every other team in the points table was hoping that RCB would lose tonight,” said Zaheer Khan. He was pleased with how well RCB played under pressure.
Before the match, Zaheer Khan declared that RCB would win. He also said that many teams on the points table wanted RCB to lose so they could get past their own roadblocks, which added to the crushing pressure. He also said that RCB hadn’t done well in the past when they were under pressure, but Kohli’s innings gave them confidence, making it even more important.
“Every other team in the standings was hoping that RCB would lose tonight, so there was a lot of pressure. In the past, we’ve seen this team fall apart when put under pressure. From that point of view, Klaasen’s bat for Hyderabad makes this game even more important. After that, it looked like batters wouldn’t be able to hit this ball.
“It didn’t seem like that with Virat, which makes it more valuable,” Zaheer Khan said.
For those who don’t know, Kohli and his former partner Chris Gayle tied for the most centuries in the history of the top league, with six each. With the win, RCB moved up to fourth place on the IPL points table. They now have 14 points from 13 games and a good net run rate (NRR) of 0.180. If they beat the Gujarat Titans in their last group match, they will be sure to make it to the playoffs.
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