'Kohli came, threw his bat straightaway. I was sitting right beside, he told me...': Kaif's mind-boggling RCB story
Mohammed Kaif recalled a story about Virat Kohli from the batter's early days for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's star batter Virat Kohli made a strong start to the 2023 Indian Premier League last Sunday, when he scored an unbeaten 82 off just 49 deliveries to take the side to an 8-wicket win against Mumbai Indians. After a forgettable outing in the 2022 season of the tournament, Kohli made a brilliant comeback after taking a month-long break in August; the batter ended a long wait for a century during the Asia Cup, and has since added four more tons across ODIs and Test formats.
Since the inaugural edition of IPL, Kohli has been with the Royal Challengers and even as he failed to lift the title since, the batter has produced a series of memorable performances for the side. The 34-year-old batter is currently the highest run-scorer in the tournament's history, and one of Kohli's former RCB teammates, Mohammad Kaif, shared a rather interesting story about the batter's hunger for runs during the initial years of IPL.
Also read: RCB name Rajat Patidar and Reece Topley's replacements for remainder of IPL 2023
Kaif recalled the time when Kohli was once dismissed on a low score after he played a poor shot, and expressed his anger in the dressing room.
“There was this one time when Virat Kohli got out the same way he was dismissed today (vs KKR on Thursday). I was sitting right beside him, and I thought he will definitely throw his bat in anger. And yes, when he came, he threw his bat straightaway, removed his pad. I was sitting beside him, and he said, ‘I’m going to score big the next time',” Kaif recalled during his commentary stint on Star Sports.
“In the next innings, he scored an unbeaten 72. Imagine. He had gone out, and he was upset. But he forgot that before coming to bat in the next match, scored 72. Then, I realised that this player is special,” Kaif further said.
{{/usCountry}}“In the next innings, he scored an unbeaten 72. Imagine. He had gone out, and he was upset. But he forgot that before coming to bat in the next match, scored 72. Then, I realised that this player is special,” Kaif further said.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli did fail to make a mark in RCB's second match of IPL 2023 against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night, as he was dismissed on 21 off 18 deliveries. The RCB eventually faced a mammoth 81-run loss and the side will be aiming for a strong comeback when it meets Lucknow Super Giants on April 10.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli did fail to make a mark in RCB's second match of IPL 2023 against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night, as he was dismissed on 21 off 18 deliveries. The RCB eventually faced a mammoth 81-run loss and the side will be aiming for a strong comeback when it meets Lucknow Super Giants on April 10.
{{/usCountry}}