Virat Kohli turned up the heat as he took the field in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s third match of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. The star RCB batter, who returned to run-scoring in style with a match-winning 77 off just 49 balls against Punjab Kings earlier this week, made an emphatic start to the innings in Bengaluru yet again, taking on Australia’s seasoned pacer Mitchell Starc.
Kohli displayed an array of shots, but the one that stood out in the initial phase of RCB’s innings was the lofted flick that travelled the distance at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was impeccable timing from the 35-year-old Kohli as he put his bottom hand to use, producing tremendous power to clear the boundary against Starc.
Such was the brilliance in the shot that India’s batting great, Sunil Gavaskar, was left in absolute awe. As soon as Kohli hit the shot, Gavaskar, on-air at the time, exclaimed, ‘Out of my sight!’
He further lauded Kohli for the six. “Look at the flick, look at the bottom hand. What a shot that is. Wonderful,” Gavaskar further said.
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Thanks to the power-hitting from Kohli and Cameron Green in the Powerplay, RCB raced to 61/1 in the first six overs of the innings.
Kohli had made a return to competitive cricket action in the 2024 Indian Premier League; he was on a break throughout the past two months, with his last appearance coming in the T20I series against Afghanistan in January.
Earlier in the game, Shreyas Iyer had won the toss and opted to bowl against the Royal Challengers in Bengaluru. The match between the two sides preceded a significant build-up, thanks to the rivalry between Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, who made a return to KKR this season as the side’s mentor.
RCB look to keep momentum
Faf du Plessis’ men endured a poor start to the season last week, facing a defeat to reigning champions Chennai Super Kings. However, the side made a strong comeback, defeating Punjab Kings by four wickets in their first home match.
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