Virat Kohli ended his century drought in Indian Premier League (IPL) when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) needed it the most. In a crucial clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kohli scored a hundred in run chase to help his side win by eight wickets. As reactions poured in on social media, legendary Sachin Tendulkar lauded Kohli and said that he knew it was going to be the former RCB skipper’s day from the way he played the first ball of the innings.
“It was evident that this would be Virat’s day from the very first ball when he played that cover drive,” Tendulkar tweeted.
“Virat and Faf both looked in total control, they not only played many big shots but also ran rather well between the wickets to build a successful partnership.”
“186 wasn’t a big enough total for the way they both batted.”
Kohli got off the mark with a four off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He followed it up with a boundary. The 34-year-old was aggressive throughout the innings. He reached his century from 62 balls only to get out next ball in an attempt to clear the boundary with a pull shot. His 63-ball 100 included 12 fours and four sixes.
Kohli and RCB skipper Faf du Plessis shared an 172-run opening partnership. This is the second-highest opening partnership for RCB in IPL history. This was their third century partnership of the season.
Kohli equalled Chris Gayle’s record for most centuries in IPL history. Also, he equalled Ben Stokes record of most centuries in IPL while chasing. Kohli crossed the 500-run mark for the sixth time in an IPL season. He equalled Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper David Warner's record for most seasons with 500-plus runs.
Kohli and Heinrich Klaasen combined to create an IPL record. This was the first time a century was scored by a batter from both sides.
SRH wicketkeeper-batter Markram scored 104 runs from 51 balls including eight fours and six sixes. This was his maiden IPL century. Tendulkar lauded Klaasen as well as he tweeted: “IPL is a mix of creative and traditional batting. Today has been a Klaas-ic display of traditional batting. Klaasen’s footwork has been simple and uncomplicated, one of the best I’ve seen in the recent past. Treat to watch!”
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