Virat Kohli showed his vintage best on Thursday in the 65th game of the season. It was Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. It was a must-win game for the RCB, and the former skipper took the team home.
He, along with Faf du Plessis, added a record 172-run partnership to seal the deal for the team. Virat smashed his sixth IPL ton and reached the three-figure mark in the league after 2019. He made 100 off 63, with 12 fours and four sixes.
Du Plessis also played a brilliant innings of 71 off 47. As a result, RCB won the game by eight wickets and jumped to fourth place on the table. It was the highest opening partnership for this season, and with this, both Virat and Faf registered their names in the record books.
As a pair, both RCB openers have made 872 runs this season, surpassing David Warner and Jonny Bairstow with 791 runs in 2019 for SRH. Notably, Virat and former RCB star AB de Villiers are another pair with 800 or more runs in a single season. After the win on Thursday, when asked about his bond and partnership with Du Plessis.
He said, “We almost have 900 runs together this season and have enjoyed batting together. Very similar to how I used to feel with AB and me batting together. Just an understanding of where the game is going and what needs to be done. Having an experienced guy who’s captained at the international level – it’s been a beautiful transition for us coming together for RCB at the top and making an impact.”
RCB has now scored 14 points in 13 games with a NRR of +0.180. They are left with one game to play, which is a must-win match for the team. RCB will lock horns with the defending champion Gujarat Titans on Sunday at home in Bengaluru.