Virat Kohli, the star Royal Challengers Bangalore batter, said on Thursday that he “does not care what anyone says on the outside” about his not-so-great strike rate in the IPL.
A magnificent hundred under his belt to put his team in the play-off contention Kohli scored exactly 100 runs out of 63 balls and shared 172 runs with captain Faf du Plessis (71 runs) to help RCB reach their target of 187 runs with four balls to spare and defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.
“I never examine previous numbers. Already, I put so much stress on myself. I was telling the boys that even though I play in the IPL, people look at me like, “Yeah, he’s fine, few impact knocks.”
It’s my sixth IPL hundred. Because I already put myself through so much stress, there are times when I don’t give myself enough credit.
I don’t care what people outside say. That is their perspective,” expressed Kohli at the post-match show, when gotten some information about his not-completely-ideal record against SRH.
According to Kohli, who has received a lot of criticism for slowing down in the middle overs, he would like to stick to his technique and not make fancy shots.
“I’ve never been someone who plays that many fancy shots frequently. Every day of the year, we have to have fun.
For me, it’s not about making spectacular plays and losing a wicket. Given the scale of the game, this is very impressive.
I believed SRH received a very high score. Ball was also grabbing. Faf has performed at a higher level. I’ve had a tranquil two or three games.
I wasn’t hitting in the middle with the way I was hitting in the nets.” Kohli made a joke when he was asked what made him and du Plessis perform so well together.
“I think it’s the tattoos.” Exactly like how I and AB bat together. He and du Plessis know exactly where we are and how to move the game along. Coming together for RCB at the top and making an impact has been a beautiful transition.”
“Blessed and grateful for the support,” Kohli said, referring to the crowd’s support for RCB despite the fact that it was an away match.
I also took my name while cheering for RCB and telling Faf that it felt like a home game. You can’t make this, in my opinion. I have not compelled anyone to lend me a hand.
It’s an astonishing situation to be in that you can give bliss to such countless individuals.” According to Du Plessis, his team used the bat and the ball effectively.
“Awesome chase. Despite Klaasen’s century, we thought the wicket was good when it left the field, and 200 was the standard score. Not such a large number of balls that turned or stuck on the wicket so we needed to emphatically play.
“We used the ball and the bat effectively in the last game. It works for us that Kohli and I complement one another well, travels to different places, and are excellent friends both on and off the pitch.
“Bringing the energy back home is critical. Conditions are difficult away. Chinnaswamy will be fantastic in yet another game that we must win.”