After Virat Kohli heroic efforts, a number of former A-list celebrities have come forward to thank the former Indian and RCB captain and shower him with accolades.
The 34-year-old performed a magnificent performance of 82 runs, carrying the bat through to help Royal Challengers Bangalore chase down a 172-run mark against the Mumbai Indians, kicking off his Indian Premier League 2023 season on a strong note. As the RCB bowlers displayed some good discipline, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis unleashed their full arsenal to destroy the MI bowlers. Before Du Plessis was out at 73, the pair scored 148 runs for the first wicket. Although Kohli carried on with his run and continued to be unbeaten, RCB was easily brought home. His 49-ball 82 contained five sixes and six fours.
Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis claimed that Virat Kohli first tried to knock fours along the ground rather than hard for sixes.
“He provides the dynamism. He is a challenging opponent to bowl to because, up front, he doesn’t harm you by hitting monster sixes; instead, he plays some ball to the ground, knocks it around, and punishes you with fours. As a result, consistency is present. He played a more aggressive role in the relationship with Faf. Tonight, he played the ideal game, according to Kallis.
On the other side, Virat Kohli six off Jofra Archer that he flicked during the final phase of the chase captured the attention of Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar.
“In the end, the draw shot for six was delivered more slowly. But because he arrived at the spot so swiftly, he simply flicked it like a fly. And it penetrated deeply,” Gavaskar said.
When he and AB de Villiers discuss Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, a former teammate, says, “There’s no pressure on Virat Kohli.”
After the game, Chris Gayle, a destructive Caribbean opener, spoke with Jio Cinema about his former RCB teammate and claimed that he and former South African great AB de Villiers had discussed Virat before the competition began.
There is no pressure on Virat, Gayle said. “He got off to a brilliant start, 88 not out (82 not out). There’s going to be carnage for bowlers in the days to come. We talked about him before the tournament. AB said, Hey, he’s a bit hungry. There is no pressure. And we have seen Virat in 2016. And this could be trouble for bowlers.”
Gayle also praised the tournament’s four-year absence from Bangalore and emphasized the importance of the players pleasing the home crowd.
It will be really helpful. Also, the role of the audience is crucial. After four years, we played at home, and you also need to impress the crowd there. They need to make sure they’re content, he continued.
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