'When he hit Kagiso Rabada after stepping out, I said his bat was firing' - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's match-winning knock

Aakash Chopra was effusive in his praise for Virat Kohli after the former India captain scored a majestic half-century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by four wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, March 25.

Kohli set the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 ablaze with a spectacular knock of 77 runs off 49 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes against a formidable PBKS bowling attack. Chasing a target of 177, RCB lost the wickets of captain Faf du Plessis and all-rounder Cameron Green inside the powerplay but Kohli took charge from the other end and hit a flurry of boundaries to keep the required run rate within control. The 35-year-old was dropped off his second ball by Jonny Bairstow and he made full use of the lifeline.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra lauded the right-handed batter for some of the exquisite shots he played during the match-winning knock.

"My first performer of the day from this match was Virat Kohli. How well he batted. He got a life on his second ball, Jonny Bairstow dropped a catch, and it went for a four. After that, he hit three more fours, four fours in the first over. When he hit Kagiso Rabada after stepping out, I said Kohli's bat was firing," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel, while picking three of the top performers from the RCB-PBKS tie.

"He never looked back after that. After that, the six he hit off Rahul Chahar's bowling over cover, what a shot. It was probably that six because of which the captain said that he wouldn't bowl him (Chahar) anymore. Rahul Chahar bowled just one over," the former India opener added.

The 46-year-old mentioned that the dominance with which Kohli played on Monday shows what kind of form he is in. Chopra predicted an excellent season for the legendary batter.

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When Kohli got out, it seemed like the match was turning in Punjab's favour: Aakash Chopra

When Kohli was dismissed in the 16th over, RCB still required 47 runs off 24 balls. Dinesh Karthik walked out to bat at No. 7 and played a brilliant knock of 28 not out off 10 balls to win the match for his team with four balls to spare. The wicketkeeper-batter earned rich praise from Chopra for his stellar finishing act.

"I am going with Dinesh Karthik because when Kohli got out, it seemed like the match was turning in Punjab's favor. He hasn't played international cricket for a long while and Arshdeep Singh, who is India's premier bowler, was in front of him. So for Karthik to hit him like that, it means he is on top of his game still and Arshdeep felt the pressure. Harshal Patel as well," he explained.

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Mahipal Lomror, who came in at No. 8 as the Impact Player, was named as the third star performer of the day by Chopra. The southpaw gave Karthik good company and scored 17 runs off just eight balls as their unbeaten partnership of 48 runs off 18 balls helped RCB register their first win of the tournament.

"My third performer is Mahipal Lomror. You might forget this performance after three weeks because you don't remember a small performance. However, the way he batted, a four off the first ball and then a six off Arshdeep and another four after that, Lomror was absolutely brilliant under pressure," Chopra stated.