Royal Challengers Bangalore's star batter Virat Kohli had an exceptional outing in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday night, scoring his sixth century in the league in 62 deliveries. His ton steered the RCB to an 8-wicket win in the game in Hyderabad, as the side further strengthened its bid for a place in the playoff stages of the season. Kohli's century (100), alongside captain Faf du Plessis (71), propelled RCB in a 187-run chase and the side eventually reached the target with four balls to spare.
Kohli was justifiably named the player of the match for his magnificent knock, and the batter inadvertently opened up on criticism over his scoring rate in the past few matches. The batter had been under the scanner for slow starts more often than not this season; however, Kohli scored 32 off 20 balls in the powerplay, and reached his century in 62 deliveries.
Also read: Virat Kohli slams sensational ton vs SRH to end 4-year wait for IPL century; equals Gayle's magnificent record
When Kohli was asked if his relatively poorer record against SRH was in the back of his mind – Kohli had 569 runs in 20 matches against SRH at an average of 31.61 before the game on Thursday – the batter insisted that such things are the least of his concerns. However, in his response, Kohli also stated that he likes to trust his technique and will never attempt “fancy” shots.
“I was telling the boys - the way I'm looked at as an IPL player as well is like 'yeah, he's fine, a few impact knocks'. But it's my 6th IPL hundred. I don't give enough credit to myself. I never look at past records (not great numbers against SRH),” Kohli told Deep Dasgupta in the presentation ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}“I was telling the boys - the way I'm looked at as an IPL player as well is like 'yeah, he's fine, a few impact knocks'. But it's my 6th IPL hundred. I don't give enough credit to myself. I never look at past records (not great numbers against SRH),” Kohli told Deep Dasgupta in the presentation ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}"I put myself under so much stress already. I don't care what anyone says on the outside, because that's their opinion. It's like… when you are in that situation yourself, you know how to win games of cricket and I've done that for a long period of time. It's not like I don't win games for my team. It's playing the situation (that) I take pride in.
“I've never been a guy who plays so many fancy shots and throws my wicket away. It's Test cricket (coming up) after the IPL, so I have to stay true to my technique. When I can make impact in an important game, it gives me confidence, and gives the team confidence,” Kohli further said.
The RCB will play their final league phase match against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night; it will also be the last game before the playoffs begin next week.