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'Sachin Tendulkar used to do that, whether it was McGrath or Warne': Ex-India star on Kohli vs Archer
Irfan Pathan lauded Virat Kohli for his batting approach against Jofra Archer, during RCB's win vs MI in their IPL 2023 opener.
Royal Challengers Bangalore began their IPL 2023 campaign on a dominating note, sealing an easy eight-wicket victory vs Mumbai Indians in their season opener, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Chasing a target of 172 runs, RCB reached 172/2 in 16.2 overs, with Virat Kohli smacking an unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 49 balls, packed with six fours and five sixes. Meanwhile, captain Faf du Plessis also played a brilliant knock of 73 runs off 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes.
Initially, MI posted 171/7 in 20 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten knock of 84 runs off 46 balls by Tilak Varma, but it wasn't enough for his side. Meanwhile, Karn Sharma was in good bowling form for RCB and bagged two wickets.
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Speaking after the match, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan lauded Kohli's performance, and made a huge comparision for the batter. "Great players do that. Sachin Tendulkar used to do that. He used to target the big bowlers in the opposition team, whether it was Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne, we have seen that repeatedly. Virat Kohli is also a player of the same stature. So he says that he will try to do even better when confronted with a challenge", said Irfan, on Star Sports.
Also, praishing his approach vs Jofra Archer, he added, “I was personally excited to watch the face-off between Jofra Archer and Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli won that contest this time. There was a chance on the first ball but after that, he didn't look behind. Only Jofra Archer was turning back as the ball was going beyond the boundary line,”
Kohli was in good form in IPL 2022, finishing the season with 341 runs in 16 games. But it wasn't enough as RCB crashed out in the playoffs. The former RCB captain won the Orange Cap in IPL 2016, amassing 973 runs, which is also the record for most runs scored in a single IPL season.
During the season, he smacked four tons, including one in a curtailed 15-over match against PBKS. But even still his performances weren't enough as RCB lost to David Warner-led SunRisers Hyderabad in the final. During the ongoing season, he will be aiming to challenge for the title with RCB.
