In the wake of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s thumping 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings, RCB icon Virat Kohli was seen in animated discussion with CSK star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The two long-time friends, teammates since their U-19 days, were chatting on the field after the match conclusion. It was clear that they were discussing the moment Kohli had to wear a bouncer by the slingy Matheesa Pathirana on his helmet.
In the eleventh over of RCB’s batting innings, Pathirana was in to bowl his second over of the spell. On the very first ball of that over, Kohli attempted to go after a sharp short ball, but was rushed for pace. In a rare sight, Kohli was struck on the helmet, and had to undergo the concussion check protocols made by the physio.
In the conversation with Jadeja, Kohli can be seen explaining the aftermath of the delivery, pointing right at the middle of his own forehead and laughing along as he saw the lighter side of things. While getting struck on the head is one of the scariest aspects of cricket, there was no harm done, despite the delivery being bowled at upwards of 142 kmph by the Sri Lankan.
Kohli's powerful response
Kohli also had the last laugh against the pacer with his awkward low action, as he laid into him for the rest of the over. In fact, it was an instant response, as the very next ball was a pull shot smoked over the boundary for a maximum. Kohli seems to be discussing this with Jadeja as well, as he indicated that the next delivery only climbed up around chest-high, making it much easier to deposit over the boundary for six.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli also had the last laugh against the pacer with his awkward low action, as he laid into him for the rest of the over. In fact, it was an instant response, as the very next ball was a pull shot smoked over the boundary for a maximum. Kohli seems to be discussing this with Jadeja as well, as he indicated that the next delivery only climbed up around chest-high, making it much easier to deposit over the boundary for six.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli then whipped the third delivery of the over for a boundary as well, showing the sign of his competitive spirit as he met the challenge from Pathirana with some fire of his own. Pathirana conceded 16 from that over, as RCB captain Rajat Patidar also beautifully timed a boundary down the ground to cap the over.
Kohli was slightly lethargic as he made his way to 31 off 30 balls, but the standard of his innings improved as CSK’s batting performance showed that this Chepauk pitch was not as easy as RCB’s batting made it look. Ultimately, a total of 196 was far too much for the hosts, as two early wickets for Josh Hazlewood meant CSK hardly looked competitive throughout their chase. RCB now comfortably top the IPL table with two wins out of two, and a healthy net run-rate.