Virat Kohli was outfoxed by Noor Ahmad as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sought a historic win at Chepauk against Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
Pathirana’s bouncer hit Kohli
Kohli was far from his fluent best during a 30-ball 31 but he did switch gears after copping a blow on the helmet when he mistimed a shot against Matheesha Pathirana.
That fuelled Kohli to hit the Sri Lankan pacer to the fence a couple of times, but the RCB mainstay never looked in control against Noor Ahmed and ended up smashing him down the leg-side to Rachin Ravindra at deep midwicket. Virat Kohli walked off in sheer frustration, and you could understand why – the Master had just started to get going.
Kohli did not look comfortable at the start of his innings, surviving a testing over from Khaleel Ahmed whose loud appeal for LBW was turned down by the umpire – CSK reviewed but replays showed Kohli was safe.
Kohli still face of RCB
Virat Kohli had won the Orange Cap last year and got off to a fine start this season with an unbeaten 59 against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Run-scoring seemed a lot easier for Kohli at Eden Gardens, but he clearly struggled at Chepauk after a six-day break. Luckily for RCB, Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal were quick off the blocks and put the teams in a solid position by the end of the first half of the innings. Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the history of the Indian Premier League and also holds the record for the most runs in a single edition of the IPL.
Criticised for his poor form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia after the unbeaten 100 in Perth, Kohli was in sublime touch during the Champions Trophy. He scored a hundred against Pakistan and a half-century against Australia, playing crucial roles in India’s triumph.
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