Last evening’s contest between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans ended in a comprehensive and relatively comfortable win for the Bangalore side, who prevailed over the western unit by 5 wickets and with over an over to spare! But that’s not all; a costly drop early on by Washington Sundar off Siraj’s bowling saw Virat Kohli convert a lifeline into a really meaty score. So much so that the man admired as King Kohli would go on to strike 81 valuable runs and almost no time at all. His innings peppered with 8 fours as well as 4 sixes.
But the man watching the beautiful innings from the other end- with so much joy- was none other than Davdutt Padikkal who himself scored a valuable knock in a winning cause for his team. With 55 useful runs off just 27 deliveries , the left hander was delighted to be part of a brilliant 115 run stand that took the side home. But here is something interesting that the earnest cricketer shared when reminiscing about the greatness of the man called Virat Kohli with whom he shared a great partnership
Wise words by Padikkal on Kohli
I think the biggest thing for me is his energy & intensity that he brings to every single game, every single net session - he has achieved everything that is there to be achieved in this game, he still continues to give his 100% in every single practice session and every single match that he plays - that kind of commitment is very hard to find and when you see someone really so driven and so passionate about the game, it really rubs off to everybody in the side as well so I am sure his energy is helping everyone in the team".
Devdutt Padikkal about the Greatness of King Kohli 🐐 "I think the biggest thing for me is his energy & intensity that he brings to every single game, every single net session - he has achieved everything that is there to be achieved in this game, he still continues to give his… pic.twitter.com/X0yid9d40O
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 25, 2026
More to come
Given the dominant fashion in which two of the most remarkable and highly skilled batters are contending this time around, with the IPL having reached its midway stage (or the halfway stage as one puts it), it can be said for certain that several more runs are up for grabs particularly where Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli are concerned.
They bring a zeal and energy to the side that is nothing short of infectious and their camaraderie galvanises an entire unit that is so avidly led by a captain who’s himself in sound form- Rajat Patidar.
