Virat Kohli scoring his first Indian Premier League (IPL) century since 2019 has drawn a plethora of reactions from around the world. The former India and former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain helped his side beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets by scoring 100 off 63 balls. It was Kohli's sixth IPL century overall, thus helping him draw level with former teammate Chris Gayle's record for most tons in the history of the tournament.
Some of the biggest names in the sport congratulated Kohli on social media but among those that caught the eye was that of former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir. “What a inning by one and only the real king @imVkohli take a bow,” said Amir, who has faced Kohli in a number of memorable encounters over the years, in his tweet.
Fans on social media have interpreted Amir's statement as something more than just him congratulating a great rival. Instead, many have seen this as the former Pakistan fast bowler's latest dig at the team's captain and talisman Babar Azam, with whom he is rumoured to have a strained relationship.
{{/usCountry}}Fans on social media have interpreted Amir's statement as something more than just him congratulating a great rival. Instead, many have seen this as the former Pakistan fast bowler's latest dig at the team's captain and talisman Babar Azam, with whom he is rumoured to have a strained relationship.
{{/usCountry}}Amir's reactions to dismissing Babar in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL), coupled with the fact that a few stray comments he made about how he doesn't differentiate between who he is bowling to, had led to doubts over whether he and Babar see eye to eye. In the present scenario, fans are pointing out to the fact that Amir is referring to Kohli as "the real king". Both Kohli and Babar are referred to as “King”.
Earlier Amir had stated that bowling to Babar would be similar to bowling tailenders, explaining how he doesn't differentiate between the opponent. “These kinds of matchups and player rivalries keep players on their toes. I personally like these sort of challenges because it keeps me focused. My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so for me, facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same," Amir had said.
SRH scored 186/5, largely thanks to a masterful 104 off 51 balls by Heinrich Klaasen. However, RCB captain Faf du Plessis and his opening partner Virat Kohli ended up making light work of that target with a 172-run opening stand. This was Kohli's first IPL century since 2019 and his sixth overall