Virat Kohli dispelled all doubts about style by striking his first IPL tonne in four years (100 off 63 balls) to put RCB on pole to reach the playoffs.
UPDATE – Fri, 5/19/23 10:39 AM
Photo: AFP
Hyderabad: Virat Kohli hit back at his critics by saying “I don’t care what people out there say” after scoring a fantastic century. Virat led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an eight-wicket victory over Hyderabad Sunrise on Thursday.
Although Virat has scored more than 500 points this season, his shooting percentage has been heavily criticized. In the losing game against Derry Capitals, where he bowled 55 off 46 balls, questions were being raised about Kohli’s batting style and his ability to hit the ball at an acceptable pace.
Kohli, however, struck his first IPL tonne in four years (100 off 63 balls) in Hyderabad on Thursday, putting RCB on pole and heading into the playoffs, thereby eliminating all pair style. suspicion.
Chasing 187 for the win, Virat looked in good hands from the start and kept the gas pedal running throughout the innings. He stitched a massive opening tie for 172 with Faf du Plessis as RCB chased the target with four balls.
“Sometimes I don’t give myself enough credit because I’ve put myself under a lot of pressure. I don’t care what people out there say. That’s their opinion. When you’re in that situation yourself, you know how Win cricket. I’ve been doing it for a long time. When I play, I don’t win games for my team. It’s a situation I’m proud of,” Kohli said in his post-match presentation .
“I’ve never been one to hit so many beautiful shots – I’ve also chatted with Aiden. We have to play 12 months out of the year. For me, it’s not about playing fancy shots and throwing away. My wicket. After IPL we have test cricket (coming soon) and have to stick to my technique. When I can make a difference in a big game it gives me confidence and also the team ,” he added.
RCB needed a win over SRH to keep their playoff hopes intact and take their fate into their own hands, so Kohli claimed his knock was “special”.
“Given the size of the game, it was very special. Thought SRH got a good score. The ball was catchy too. We wanted a good start. Didn’t expect it to be 172/0. But that’s Faf and me this season Performance. Faf was on a different level. I had a couple of quiet games. The way I hit the ball in the last 2-3 games didn’t transition into the middle,” said the former RCB captain.
“To make an impact, my intention was to chase down the bowlers from the 1st pitch – that’s what I’ve been doing all season. There was a drop, but I wanted to pick up my game at the right time. Never Look at the past records (against SRH the numbers are not huge). Tell the boys – the way people see me as an IPL player is like “yes he’s good, barely hits”. This is my 6th IPL,” he added.
The 34-year-old batsman also thanked the crowd and his supporters for cheering him and RCB
“The crowd was great here today too. Told Fife too. Just thought it was a home game for us. They were cheering for us and named after me too. I don’t think you can create this,” Kohli explain.
“I’m not forcing anyone to follow me or be inspired by me. I’m just myself on the field. I do everything on the field very honestly and I think it resonates with people. It’s an amazing position, You can provide joy to so many people. When I perform, they have smiles on their faces, that’s what I love to see,” he added.
With Thursday’s win, RCB moved up to fourth in the standings and boosted their chances of reaching the playoffs. They will face the Gujarat Titans in their final league match at Chinnaswamy on Sunday.
