After nine innings, Virat Kohli got to his first half-century in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. Kohli opened the innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the second time in the season but this time did not lose his wicket early. The former RCB opener scored 58 against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Brabourne Stadium but hit a personal low in the strike rate department.
The 33-year-old scored 58 runs from 53 innings at a strike rate of 109.43. It is the lowest strike rate for Kohli in his IPL career when he has registered a fifty-plus score. The previous lowest (114.58) was his 55-run knock off 48 deliveries against now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in the 2017 season. In 2020 edition, he scored a 43-ball 50 with a strike rate of 116.28.
Kohli faced a lot of criticism after managing 128 runs from nine games. In the past three games, he registered career-first consecutive golden ducks. His average was close to his first season for RCB. However, after the 58-run knock, it is now over 20.
Earlier Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bat first while most captains have been choosing to field first. Du Plessis got out for a four-ball duck in the second over. Playing his first match after four seasons, Pradeep Sangwan got the RCB skipper’s wicket.
After the early wicket, Kohli shared a 99-run partnership for the second wicket. While Kohli rotated the strike, Patidar accelerated once he settled. The no.3 batter scored 52 runs from 32 deliveries including five fours and a couple of sixes. Kohli played till the 17th over before he got bowled by Mohammed Shami. He scored 58 runs from 53 deliveries including six fours and one six. Also, this is his second slowest IPL half-century (45 balls).
Kohli did not fire in his first match as an opener in the season. He got out for a single-digit score against Rajasthan Royals. However, the former South African skipper did not lose patience with the star performer and explained why he changed Kohli’s batting position. He said that he does not want Kohli to overthink on sidelines and get into the action straightaway.
