Virat Kohli, who recently became the target of relentless trolling on social media after accidentally liking a picture of actress Avneet Kaur, responded in the most Virat Kohli way possible—by scoring a blistering 50 off just 29 balls at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Despite issuing a clarification about the incident, the online noise didn’t die down. But on the field, Kohli shut down all criticism with his fiery knock, reminding everyone of his unmatched talent and focus.
After finally breaking the Chinnaswamy curse against Rajasthan Royals last week, RCB returned to their home ground, but this time without two of their key players, Phil Salt and Josh Hazlewood. CSK won the toss and chose to bowl first, clearly aiming to avoid RCB’s dangerous chasing form.?
Still, Virat Kohli proved that with or without key support, he’s going to deliver. The RCB star smashed a fiery 62 off just 33 balls, cracking 6 fours and 6 sixes, at a remarkable strike rate of 187. This knock marked his 62nd IPL fifty and his 7th of the current season, solidifying his form as one of the league's most consistent players. He was eventually dismissed by Sam Curran, caught by Khaleel Ahmad, but not before making a serious impact. He has also now regained the Orange Cap, having scored 505 runs in the tournament so far.?
While the early dismissal might sting, especially with Salt, usually the one to dominate the powerplay, absent, Kohli held his ground and helped maintain momentum in the opening overs. Jacob Bethell also stepped up, providing RCB with a strong start by scoring a quick 55 from 33 balls, complementing Kohli's aggression with steady, clean hitting.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):?Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs:?Suyash Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh?
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI):?Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana
Impact Subs:?Shivam Dube, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton?
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