Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore fans can finally take a sigh of relief as their star, former India captain Virat Kohli shunned all his doubters after smashing 73 runs in 54 balls against the Gujarat Titans. The 33-year-old has looked like a different player throughout the 2022 IPL season as he had scored only 236 runs before this game.
King Kohli’s scintillating half-century was littered with some breathtaking shots as he hit eight fours and two sixes. But one of his best shots was the six he hit to reach his 50 against Rashid Khan. Kohli flicked the ball over deep mid-wicket to reach the milestone. Kohli’s former India teammate, Harbhajan Singh was commentating during the match and deemed his six as the “Khenchi Shot.”
After the game, Virat Kohli was given his first Player of the Match award of the season. During the post-match interview, he talked about how he has been disappointed for not performing well throughout the tournament and addressed how this phase was similar to 2014 when he underwent a bad run of form.
He said, “I can keep going. It was an important game. I was disappointed that I haven’t done much for my team and that is what bothers me, not the stats. Today was a game where I was able to create an impact for the team. Puts us in a good position.”
“I came in very free and relaxed,” Kohli
“There are expectations because of the performances that you have put in. You need to keep the perspective right. You can forget the process in order to live up to the expectations. I have worked really hard. I batted 90 minutes in the nets yesterday. I came in very free and relaxed. It is in that spur of the moment why is it happening to me," Kohli continued.
“I knew that tonight was the night when I could kick on,” Kohli
He also talked about how he had a good feeling about scoring big runs after he hit his first shot against Mohammed Shami. He said, “With the very first shot of Shami, I felt I could hit length balls over the fielder’s head. I knew that tonight was the night when I could kick on. It has been wonderful that I have got so much support in this edition. I am forever grateful to all the love that I have never seen before".