PBKS vs RCB: Virat Kohli cracks strike-rate joke after smashing 47-ball 92 in Dharamsala

Dharamsala,UPDATED: May 9, 2024 22:09 IST

Virat Kohli was in the mood to have some fun after smashing a 47-ball 92 for RCB against PBKS in their must-win IPL 2024 match in Dharamsala on Friday. Days after an explosive interview where he tore into his strike-rate critics, Kohli looked calm and composed as he joked about batting at a good click while speaking to the broadcasters during the mid-innings break at the scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

“It was important to keep up my strike-rate through the innings so I wanted to take on the momentum,” Virat Kohli said with a smile on his face.

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Kohli was criticized for his strike-rate earlier in the IPL 2024 season. He lashed out at his critics after scoring a 44-ball 70 against Gujarat in Ahmedabad, taking a swipe at people who make assessments while ‘sitting in a box’. In stark contrast to that interview, Kohli was relaxed as he explained why he kept going after the PBKS bowlers in Dharamsala on Thursday.

Virat Kohli hit 6 sixes and 7 boundaries as he was severe against the PBKS’s pacers and spinners. He missed out on his 10th T20 hundred by just 8 runs, but the former captain soaked in the applause from the Dharamsala crowd, raising his bat and waving to the fans.

Kohli and Rajat Patidar stitched a 76-run stand for the 3rd wicket with the latter getting to his fifty in just 19 balls. However, Rajat was dismissed in the 10th over before rain interrupted play. Kohli took on the onus of scoring big after the resumption of play and continued the charge against PBKS.

“It was a tricky phase when Rajat got out, we got three down and the rain came in. So we needed a bit of time to settle but once Cameron and I did, I thought ‘I have to go again.’ The wicket was a bit two-paced, the ones pitching on the grassy ones were skidding on,” Kohli said.

Virat Kohli’s 92 and Rajat Patidar’s fifty made sure RCB posted an above-par total of 241 in 20 overs — the highest total in the history of IPL at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.