'King for a reason' - Virat Kohli roars back to form to keep RCB alive in playoff race

Cometh the hour, cometh the man – Virat Kohli is certainly a believer of this saying as the former RCB captain played a remarkable knock in a much-needed game against Gujarat Titans. Overcoming his lean patch, the 33-year-old made a mockery of GT’s famed bowling attack to keep RCB’s playoff hopes alive. Riding on his brilliance, Faf du Plessis’ men recorded an eight-wicket triumph to jump to the fourth place in the IPL 2022 team standings.

Earlier in the contest, Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bat at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. They didn’t get off to a desirable start as opener Shubman Gill could only manage one run. While Matthew Wade got off to a decent start, he was dismissed for 16 in a controversial manner. The repair work was then done by Wriddhiman Saha and skipper Hardik Pandya.

While Saha was dismissed for a well-made 31, Hardik continued his fine form this season and brought up yet another half-century. He was well supported by first David Miller (34) and then Rashid Khan (19 not out). In fact, Hardik and Rashid added 36 runs in the final 15 deliveries of the innings, giving GT a fiery finish. Hardik ended up scoring an unbeaten 62 as the Titans posted 168/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Virat Kohli brought up his second half-century of the season

For RCB, Josh Hazlewood scalped a couple of wickets while Wanindu Hasaranga and Glenn Maxwell scalped one wicket apiece. In reply, RCB got off to a perfect start with openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis adding 115 runs for the first wicket. Kohli, who has been short of runs this season, batted with remarkable intent and brought up his second half-century of the season.

Skipper Du Plessis, who played the second fiddle in the partnership, scored 44 off 38 deliveries before falling prey to Rashid Khan. His departure proved to be a blessing in disguise for RCB as in came Glenn Maxwell and he did what he does the best – clearing the ropes. While Kohli was dismissed for a 54-ball 73, there was no hiccups in RCB’s chase. The three-time finalists eventually crossed the line in 18.4 overs, clinching the contest by eight wickets. Meanwhile, RCB now need Mumbai Indians to beat Delhi Capitals to secure a place in the next stage.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to RCB’s triumph: