Kohli Cracks Majestic Hundred; RCB Inch Closer to Playoff Qualification

Virat Kohli (PC: IPL/BCCI)

Virat Kohli’s majestic unbeaten 105 powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur. RCB chased down the target of 193 in the final over to seal their eighth victory of the season. With this loss, KKR are on the verge of crashing out of the tournament, while RCB are very close to qualifying for the playoffs.

Yet Another Masterclass from Kohli

The Raipur crowd, largely comprising RCB fans, witnessed yet another masterclass from Kohli. It was a quintessential Kohli innings as RCB went about the business of chasing down a competitive target. In Vaibhav Arora’s opening over, he cracked four boundaries to lay the platform.

Kohli also gave a glimpse of his game against spin by using the depth of the crease to pull Anukul Roy and Sunil Narine. But the highlight of his innings was a lap shot off Kartik Tyagi for six. He also whipped the same bowler for another six in the slog overs and reached his ninth IPL ton with a single in the 19th over.

Is Kartik Tyagi Coming of Age?

There has always been a school of thought that Kartik tends to juxtapose a few good deliveries with hit-me balls. But in this IPL, he has bowled with good rhythm as the season has progressed.

On the day, the cornerstone of Kartik’s bowling performance was the direction of his short ball. He dismissed Jacob Bethell with a well-directed short delivery and also hit Rajat Patidar with a brute of a bouncer. His eventual figures read 3 for 32.

Devdutt Padikkal Acts as the Supporting Cast

Throughout this tournament, Padikkal has been one of the mainstays of RCB’s batting efforts. In the crucial game against KKR, his 92-run stand with Kohli more or less put RCB on course for victory. Padikkal’s innings of 39 included seven boundaries.

The Raghuvanshi-Rinku Singh Duet

At 116 for 3, KKR needed a couple of batters to lift the scoring rate. At that stage of the innings, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh shared a partnership of 76 in under eight overs. Unfortunately for KKR, the duo’s stand went in vain.

Manish Pandey’s Eye-Catching Catch

With RCB coasting towards victory, Manish Pandey flew like Superman to pouch a blinder at backward point and dismiss Tim David. At one point, it seemed as though the ball had gone past Pandey’s left hand. But he dived full length and somehow grabbed the catch. As expected, the entire KKR dugout applauded in unison. Even Venkatesh Iyer, the RCB cricketer, was seen appreciating the effort.

Meanwhile, Kohli, Pandey’s former India and India U19 teammate, shared a light-hearted moment with him.

Rain and Wet Outfield Almost Play Spoilsport

The match was delayed by almost 75 minutes due to a wet outfield. The crowd waited patiently for the match to start, and they got their money’s worth in the form of Kohli’s century.

The post Kohli Cracks Majestic Hundred; RCB Inch Closer to Playoff Qualification appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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