Virat Kohli has been praised for his running between the wickets by former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) registered a win in their IPL 2023 match against Mumbai Indians (MI), April 2nd at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis led his side from the front as he along with senior pro Virat Kohli blew Mumbai away with their explosive batting in the 172-run chase.
Batting first after losing the toss, Mumbai Indians batting failed to come good on a tricky surface in the Chinnaswamy stadium and only Tilak Varma with his brilliant 84* helped the five-time champions reach 171/7.
In reply, Faf du Plessis made 73 in 43 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes to his name and added 148 runs in 14.5 overs with Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 82 in 49 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes to take RCB home with 8 wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare to give a huge boost to their net run rate.
Virat Kohli’s Running Between The Wickets Shows How Hard He Has Worked On His Fitness: Mohammad Kaif
While Du Plessis took just 29 balls to reach his half-century, Kohli completed the milestone in 38 balls. It was in the next 11 deliveries, the former RCB skipper went completely berserk and hammered 32 runs in it as the hosts wrapped up the contest with 3.4 overs to spare.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was left impressed by Kohli’s scintillating batting show and hailed Kohli’s fitness and hoped aspiring cricketers take lesson from this knock.
“Virat’s running between the wickets is a lesson for new players. When a 34-year-old player runs like this in between the wickets, it proves how hard he works on his fitness,” noted Kaif during an interaction on Star Sports.
Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis also hailed Kohli’s efforts and predicted RCB to do well in the ongoing edition.
“Virat Kohli brings a lot of positive energy into the team. He feeds off the energy of the spectators. His consistency with the bat at the top will help RCB go a long way in this competition. And the way he stamped his authority over Jofra Archer was incredible,” Kallis added.
RCB will next face Kolkata Knight Riders in Eden Gardens on April 6.