Kohli smashes his second ton of season with brilliant 108* as RCB down RPS by 7 wickets
Virat Kohli once again proved why he is an absolute master of run chases with a brilliant unbeaten 108 that took Royal Challengers Bangalore home by seven wickets against the Rising Pune Supergiants in Bengaluru on Saturday.
This was Kohli's second ever century in any form of T20 cricket, and incidentally, both have come in this season of the IPL.
Chasing a commanding 192 on a typically flat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium track, Kohli played the perfect anchor and changed gears when it mattered the most to get the hosts over the line with three balls to spare.
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The RCB skipper took some time to get going at the start of his innings, like he usually does. But once he set his eyes in, he was unstoppable, taking ever Pune bowler to the cleaners. One fact that stood out in Kohli's innings on Saturday were seven maximums that he clobbered around the ground. The star batsman is usually not known for hitting sixes, dealing more in fours, but the 27-year-old was at his aggressive best during his 58-ball knock that also comprised eight fours.
Going along nicely at 94/0, Pune leg-spinner Adam Zampa removed KL Rahul and AB de Villiers in the 12th over to get visitors into the driving seat. Even as Kohli was going stable at the other end, the net run rate was mounting, and that is when Shane Watson stepped up. The Aussie scored a blistering 13-ball 36 to pull that asking rate down and bring the match back into balance.
Once Watson departed courtesy an LBW off RP Singh, Kohli took it upon himself to give the capacity crowd reasons to cheer. With 40 needed in 18 balls, the skipper smashed two sixes and a four off Zampa's 18th over and two sixes off Singh in the 19th over to wipe out 36 of those runs. Kohli finished it off in style as well, flicking Ashok Dinda for a four to raise his arms in celebration.
Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane and Saurabh Tiwary struck half-centuries to take Pune to 191/6 after being put into bat. While opener Rahane made 74 off 48 balls, Tiwary's 52 came off 39 balls.
ONE AND ONLY
Virat Kohli is the only batsman to score two centuries in a single IPL season. The RCB skipper hit his first ever ton in any T20 cricket against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot
N ZONE
2
This was Virat Kohli's second IPL ton, joining B McCullum, S Watson, D Warner, AB de Villiers, A Gilchrist and V Sehwag in list of two-time IPL centurions
1,116
No. of runs Kohli has scored in all forms of T20 cricket in the 21 matches this year. He has hit two centuries and 11 fifties at an average of 106.00 and a strike rate of 141.84
6,013
No. of runs Kohli has in T20 cricket. Only five players have more: Gayle (8,847), Hodge (6,998) McCullum (6,538), Warner (6, 430) Raina (6,199) and R Sharma (6,031)
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