"Why are you surprised with that? That is my biggest six this season so I will take it anyways" - Virat Kohli on his mammoth 103m six against SRHÂ
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli addressed his astonishing 103-meter six against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) following the team's eight-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, May 18.
Chasing 187 runs for victory in a crucial IPL 2023 encounter in the hunt for a playoff spot, Kohli stepped up with his sixth IPL hundred. The ace batter smashed 100 runs off 63 deliveries and shared a 172-run opening partnership with Faf du Plessis in the process.
Speaking in the dressing room following the victory that takes RCB into the top four with a game to spare. Kohli said in a video released by RCB:
"103m, I am taking that with me. Why are you surprised with that? That is my biggest six this season so I will take it anyways. I almost hit a wide for a six in the end, almost went for six."
RCB batter Glenn Maxwell chimed in by heaping praise on the Kohli-du Plessis pair, terming their exploits against SRH as something the squad is used to. The Australian said:
"That was brilliant, we are trying to keep a lid on it and stay calm. Stay calm, relaxed, just another day. Got six of these so, 150 run-partnership no biggie. It is what they do, we are not surprised. The rest of us are not surprised. They just need to keep doing it."
The eight-wicket win marked RCB's second win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and their first since 2014.
"Kohli silenced a lot of critics, who say that he can't hit the big shots" - Sanjay Bangar
Virat Kohli began the run chase on an ominous note and with a high tempo. RCB never felt the pressure of the required run rate after amassing 64 runs in the powerplay and staying one step in the overs to come.
RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar feels that the match-winning knock will silence a lot of critics, who commented on Kohli's poor strike rate in the middle overs. Bangar said:
"What a fabulous innings it was from Virat. The moment that he drive Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first over itself, you knew that something special was brewing up and he just continued. Some of the shots that he played, he silenced a lot of critics, who say that he can't hit the big shots."
RCB all-rounder Wayne Parnell also lauded Kohli's knock, while terming him as inevitable in a run chase. He said:
"That partnership was very good, I think two very experienced players were playing, beautifully throughout this whole IPL, but to finally get to those three figures. I mean Virat Kohli in a chase, what more can you say."
Hailing the King, RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson applauded the efforts of the opening batters, who almost wrapped up the run chase all by themselves. He stated:
"Unbelievable partnership, obviously Faf has been doing it all year, Virat stepped up a notch today. All hail the king, that was a fantastic hundred. It was enjoyed by all of us. Just the smile on his face and the reaction from the boys in the dugout was amazing."
RCB's last league match is against the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) as they return to their home venue after a run of five away matches.
Will RCB make it to the IPL 2023 playoffs? Let us know what you think.