The muscular magician that Virat Kohli appears to be when in full flight was not on show on Sunday when he played an innings almost too safe to be his trademark in Twenty20s. It seemed his team had forgotten how to win for much of the ongoing Indian Premier League season, and despite a wooden-spoon finish that would be unchanged with victory, Kohli was eager for it. Perhaps too eager to take risks early on.
He played smoothly, punishing wayward deliveries to collect his boundaries. In the middle of it, he conjured a peculiar chip shot for six - what seemed a check-drive eventualised in a six over extra cover. Perhaps it was a good advertisement of the sweet spot of the bat, the strength of Kohli’s arms, and the short boundary lengths at the Ferozeshah Kotla. The other highlights were a few boundaries hit through deep midwicket, scattered amid his singles and twos.
Kohli’s partnership with Chris Gayle, who constructed a similarly breezy knock, gave Royal Challengers the platform to set up a good total which eventually led to a 10-run win.
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