Don’t write off champions: Nathan Lyon on Kohli’s recent batting slump
The Australian team must be hoping to take advantage of Virat Kohli’s prolonged batting slump when the two sides clash in the five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli on Tuesday expressed his disappointment after the team’s campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 came to an end in the league phase.
RCB needed to beat Gujarat Titans (GT) to qualify for the playoffs but they suffered a 6-wicket defeat on Sunday, crashing out of the competition. Kohli, who scored a century in the match, was understandably disappointed to see the big dream of lifting the IPL title remaining unfulfilled again.
In a post on social media, Kohli thanked the RCB fans for their support and said he was proud of the team’s efforts. He also said that he was looking forward to the next season and that he would continue to give his 100% for the team.
Advertisement
“A season which had it’s moments but unfortunately we fell short of the goal. Disappointed but we must hold our heads high. To our loyal supporters, grateful for backing us every step of the way. A big thank you to the coaches, management and my teammates. We aim to be back stronger,” he wrote on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
The 16th edition of the IPL was a fulfilling one for Kohli from a personal perspective. In the match against the defending champions GT, Virat scored 101* in just 61 balls. His knock consisted of 13 fours and a six. He scored 639 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2023, at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate above 139. He scored two centuries and six fifties this season.
Kohli has scored eight centuries in T20 cricket, which includes one international century for India and seven centuries for RCB. He has scored 11,965 runs in his T20 career which is 374 matches strong so far.
Chris Gayle holds the record for most T20 centuries, with 22. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has nine centuries, while Australia’s Michael Klinger, Aaron Finch and David Warner have eight centuries each.
Advertisement
