IPL 2024: Rahane’s brilliant use of the boundary rope sends Kohli back to the shed

When Virat Kohli returned to the field for the first time in three months on Friday, March 22, during the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he did not have a particularly memorable performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Kohli’s innings did not start well as he could only manage 21(20) before being caught at deep mid-wicket by Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra’s excellent fielding.

Virat Kohli shifted towards the off side against Mustafizur Rahman on the second ball of the 12th over of the innings, pulling the ball into deep mid-wicket.

But the right-hander mistimed it, and Ajinkya Rahane finished with an excellent catch that covered excellent ground.

In addition, the seasoned cricket player demonstrated excellent mental focus by getting rid of the ball before colliding with the boundary, and Rachin Ravindra finished the relay catch. Kohli was forced to return to the pavilion as a result, leaving the Royal Challengers Bengal at 77/4 after 11.2 overs and in serious difficulty.

Here’s where to see the catch:

Fielder ki kamaal ki lapak aur khatam hua Kohli ka luck! 🤯

Lijiye mazaa #IPLonJioCinema ka Bhojpuri mein ek dum FREE!#TATAIPL #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/3tCrsyTGBo

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 22, 2024

12000 T20 runs was achieved by Kohli, the first Indian to do so.

Earlier, after scoring the first six runs of his innings, Kohli became the first Indian player to reach 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. With eight hundreds and ninety-one fifties, the outstanding batsman currently has 12015 runs in the 20-over format from 360 innings at an average of 41.14 and a strike rate of 133.42. In addition, he surpassed Chris Gayle, who reached the mark in 353 innings, as the second-fastest batter to reach the milestone.

After 11.4 overs, Mustafizur Rahman had the top order of the RCB reeling, having run them through at 78/5. In four overs, the left-arm seamer claimed the wickets of Cameron Green (18 off 22), KOhli, Rajat Patidar (0 off 3), and Faf du Plessis (35 off 23). His statistics were 4/29.