Virat Kohli top-scored with a 73 off 54 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Titans in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 match on Thursday. It was the former RCB skipper's highest score so far in the ongoing edition of the T20 franchise cricket league. With that innings, Kohli reached 309 runs in 14 matches at an average of 23.77. Thanks to Kohli's knock, RCB chased down a 169-run target in 18.4 overs with eight wickets intact. RCB are still in contention for a play-off berth following the win. They have 16 points from 14 matches and are at the fourth spot in the points table currently.
After the win, former Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri was asked about Kohli's innings. "Good, still not the best. But the pop is in the house, he has announced it to the world. If they qualify for the playoffs, if there is a problem with Delhi Capitals, then wait and watch. It is an announcement, it is to the world, do not mess around with the pop, when there is class, respect class. It will teach all the kids how to play," Shastri said in an interview to ESPNCricinfo.
Before the match, IPL's official broadcasters Star Sports aired an interview of Kohli, where he said: "It's not that a lot of people have mentioned it (taking break). There is one person precisely who mentioned it, which is Ravi bhai. That's because he has seen from close quarters over the last six-seven years the reality of the situation that I have been in, the amount of cricket that I have played. The ups and down and the toll that it takes on you to play three formats of the game plus the IPL for 10-11 years non-stop with seven years of captaincy in between.
"It's definitely a thing that one needs to consider because you don't want to do something which you are not part of 100 per cent. And I have always believed in that in my life. So, to take a break and when to take a break is obviously something that I need to take a call on. It is only a healthy decision for anyone to take some time off and you know just rejuvenate yourself mentally and physically. Not so much physically because physical fitness you keep up with. But it's the mental kind of reset that you need and you want to be excited for what you are doing.