Written by Vaibhav Tripathi
Virat Kohli’s scintillating unbeaten 101 wasn’t quite enough as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) crashed out of IPL 2023 with a last-over defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans. Kohli was upstaged by Shubman Gill, whose sublime 52-ball 104 put the finishing touches on a measured chase of198.
Kohli, like Gill, finished the season with back-to-back centuries, suggesting that rumours of him having passed his sell-by-date as a T20 batter were more than a bit premature. His 101 in the least league game of the season, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, came off just 61 balls, and including 13 fours and a six.
“I felt great,” said Kohli in an interview with the host broadcaster between innings. “Lots of people think that my T20 cricket is declining. I don’t feel like that at all. I think I am playing my best T20 cricket again. I’m just enjoying myself. This is how I play T20 cricket. I look to hit gaps, hit a lot of boundaries and then the big ones towards the end, if the situation allows me to. You have to read situations, and rise up to the occasion when the situation demands. I feel really good with my game at the moment, and how I’m batting.”