Raipur (Chattisgarh) [India], May 14 (ANI): An unbeaten century from Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase down 193 with authority against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and his teammate Devdutt Padikkal said the innings was a reminder of why Kohli remains one of the game’s elite performers.
Kohli entered the contest under scrutiny after registering back-to-back ducks, only the second such sequence of his IPL career. But the former RCB captain responded in emphatic fashion, pacing the chase superbly and remaining unbeaten through the innings as RCB climbed to the top of the IPL points table.
Padikkal, who shared a rapid 92-run second-wicket partnership with Kohli, admitted he found himself admiring the knock from the non-striker’s end.
“It was incredible to watch,” Padikkal said after the win, according to ESPNcricinfo. “I think I had the best seat in the house. Some of the shots he played were simply remarkable.”
The left-hander said Kohli showed no signs of carrying the burden of recent failures despite acknowledging before the game that he had been “a bit nervous”.
“Obviously, coming into this game after two ducks is never easy, and he showed why he is who he is,” Padikkal said.
He further added, “To not have that on his mind and to just go out there and bat the way he does was something incredible. Really happy to see him get those runs.”
Kohli also became the first Indian batter to reach 14,000 runs in T20 cricket. Overall, Kohli is only the sixth batter in the world to achieve the landmark.
The veteran batter slammed a brilliant hundred against KKR and played some unbelievable shots to record his 9th IPL hundred.
Chris Gayle (14,562), Kieron Pollard (14,482), Alex Hales (14,449), David Warner (14,284) and Jos Buttler (14,200) are ahead of Kohli on the all-time T20 run-scoring list.
RCB’s chase was built around composure rather than panic, with Padikkal insisting the pair focused more on building a substantial stand than obsessing over the asking rate. After Padikkal made 39 from 27 balls, Bengaluru were already firmly in control at 129 for 2 in the 14th over.
“I don’t think we really went into the specifics of anchoring,” Padikkal explained. “It was more about making sure we took the game to a certain stage where we felt the rest of our batting line-up would be in a comfortable position.”
He added that recent batting collapses had influenced their approach.
“Over the last couple of games, we’ve been in situations where we lost a couple of wickets early, and never stitched partnerships together. I think it was important today that once I went in, both of us spoke about elongating that partnership for as long as possible and then taking it from there,” the 25-year-old batter said.
Kohli also became the fastest player to reach 14,000 T20 runs in terms of innings taken, achieving the milestone in 409 innings and surpassing Chris Gayle’s previous record of 423 innings.
With nine IPL centuries and one international T20 hundred, Kohli became the first Indian batter to register 10 centuries in the shortest format of the game.
Padikkal also dismissed the idea that Kohli’s lean run had altered his mindset and said, “Honestly, it [the two ducks] doesn’t really change anything,” he said. “You’ve played so much cricket in your career. Everyone who is out here comes to perform. No one is going to score in every single game. That’s part of the game, and he understands that better than anybody else.”
The batters quickly realised conditions in Raipur were far more reliable than the tricky surface RCB encountered against the Mumbai Indians earlier in the tournament.
“It was a pretty good wicket, I thought,” Padikkal said. “There was a little bit for the pacers initially with the new ball, but as soon as that swing died down, it was a pretty good wicket to bat on.”
He added that modern T20 batting depth has changed perceptions around targets.
“I don’t think we really discussed a target, but these days, anything under 200 feels chaseable. That’s how the game has evolved,” said Padikkal.
He also credited RCB’s use of him as an Impact Substitute during the fielding innings for helping him settle quicker with the bat.
“Definitely, fielding before batting helps,” the left-hander said. “If you come straight into a game to bat, it probably takes a bit of time to understand the pace of the game, the pace of the pitch, and the angles.”
He said spending time on the field gave him a clearer understanding of the conditions before he walked out to bat.
“But when you are on the field early, it gives you an idea of the areas you can target, where the batters are looking to hit, and the general pace of the game. You don’t want to come in cold when you are batting. So I think it definitely helps, and hopefully I can field a lot more. It gets pretty mundane just sitting and watching at times. I enjoy fielding as much as possible,” he concluded. (ANI)
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