Virat Kohli's Stunning Act After Reaching Fifty Confirms His Ultimate Aim
After reaching his half-century in 37 balls, Virat Kohli was dismissed after adding just 1 more run against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Virat Kohli, a player who always finds a way to remain in the headlines, became another bit point of discussion after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Thursday. Kohli scored a half-century, providing an important contribution to the team's triumph. If it wasn't for his 51-run knock, RCB might not have managed to put an end to their 6-game losing streak. But, Kohli once again became a hot subject of chatter on social media for the number of balls (43) he consumed for his 51.
Kohli, who reached his half-century in 37 balls, found it tough to hit boundaries once the powerplay was over. In the second-half of his innings, Virat could only rotate the strike, bringing in the on-song Rajat Patidar into play more often.
Often blamed for playing for his own milestones, as Kohli reached his half-century, he refused on even celebrate by waving his bat towards fans and teammates. The action by Virat proved that he was looking for something bigger and was probably not satisfied with the manner in which he reached his fifty.
No fifty celebrations from Virat Kohli. pic.twitter.com/qaZIcgmojJ
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) April 25, 2024
Recapping the match, RCB won the toss and elected to bat first. Skipper Faf Du Plessis (25) and Virat Kohli got the team off to a blazing start in the powerplay. After a slowdown post-powerplay, Rajat Patidar (50) injected life into the RCB's innings. Virat was dismissed for 51 in 43 balls, with four boundaries and a six and failed to capitalise on his fine start during the powerplay. Despite some quick wickets, cameos from Cameron Green (37*) and Swapnil Singh (12*) took RCB to 206/7 in their 20 overs.
VIRAT KOHLI ON A MISSION AHEAD OF WORLD CUP. pic.twitter.com/GJ0XvPa7wf
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 25, 2024
Jaydev Unadkat (3/30) and T Natrajan (2/39) were the top bowlers for SRH. Pat Cummins and Mayank Markande took a wicket each.
In the run-chase, SRH kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Except for Abhishek Sharma (31), none of the previous heroes for SRH, be it Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen or Nitish Reddy made an impact. Skipper Cummins (31) and Shahbaz Ahmed (40) did put up a fight, but SRH was skittled out for 171 in their 20 overs.
Green (2/12) and Karn Sharma (2/29) were the top bowlers for RCB. Swapnil Singh also took two wickets for 40 runs. Will Jacks and Yash Dayal also got a wicket each.
RCB is at the bottom of the points table with two wins, seven losses and four points. SRH is at the third spot with five wins, three losses and 10 points.
With ANI inputs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Virat Kohli