IPL 2024: Virat Kohli gives RCB fans hope, yet again

It had to be Virat Kohli and no one else. The talismanic batter put no foot wrong as he anchored Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) chase of 177 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday night.

The target of 177 wasn’t the only goal for Kohli. What he wanted to achieve was much more than 177—much more than this match. And when he walked back to the hut after scoring 77 off just 49 balls, what Kohli had done was to let the dreams of all RCB fans for an IPL title take flight again.

It was just business as usual for Kohli - treating world class bowlers with disdain. He was a man possessed—a man possessed with the thought of giving RCB their second franchise title, the first in men’s franchise cricket. His innings was marked by sheer determination, perseverance and, of course, talent.

The IPL is not even one week old; RCB are just playing their second match of the season. But Kohli showed glimpses of what he could do in the shortest format of the game very early into the league. The Delhi-born batter knew what it takes to help the team cross the finish line. “I know my name is often used to just promote the T20 game across the world when it comes to T20 cricket these days but I still got it I guess,” Kohli said after receiving the man-of-the-match award.

RCB did not win in a canter. They stuttered after Kohli’s departure but Dinesk Karthik and Mahipal Lomror put them back in. It was evident that if the team can back this man, he could aim for the moon and not miss it ever.

Kohli and his army ran into a marauding Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first match and had to bite the dust, but on Monday, they were in no mood to relent. There was a false start when Sam Curran induced an edge from Kohli, only for Jonny Bairstow to put a catch down on first slip.

Kohli made the Punjab team pay. He took Curran to the cleaners from the next ball - a smack through the covers for four, tapping the ball fine for a boundary, and sending the ball to the advertisement boards in the cover region again - the first over of the chase had it all.

Kohli made Kagiso Rabada look elementary when he walked down a few steps, got on top of the bounce, and smacked him for a boundary. If there was a list for the most talented and beautiful shots in the tournament, this would top it all with ease.

Arshdeep Singh could do nothing better - he was driven uppishly for four, and Kohli picked the deep mid-wicket boundary with ease soon after.

The decibel levels at the Chinnaswamy Stadium reached a crescendo. Chants of RCB and Kohli filled the air. When he sent the ball soaring over the ropes for an inside-out six off Rahul Chahar, the crowd and Kohli had broken into a trance.

The Delhi-born batter soon reached his 92nd half-century, and when combined with his eight 100s, he reached a milestone of his 100th score of 50-plus. Numbers did not matter to him at that point, he knew the job had just begun.

When he departed for 77 off just 49 balls, there was a hush around the Chinnaswamy Stadium. One could hear a pin drop but deep down everyone knew he had put himself and the dreams of RCB fans for an IPL title on a pedestal.

There were hiccups when Anuj Rawat followed Kohli back into the pavilion, but the crowd of their voices came back when Karthik and Lomror finished things off.

“In T20, I am opening (the batting) and I try to give the team a blazing start. But when wickets start falling, one has to understand the conditions as well. The wicket wasn’t as placid as normal here. It was a bit two-paced. I had to play correct cricketing shots and couldn’ t hit balls across the line. I did try a few, felt like I needed big hits at the other end, which didn’t happen as Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) and Anuj (Rawat) got out quickly. I am disappointed not having finished it off,” Kohli said.

One could just watch Kohli’s cover drives in awe. He got on to the top of the ball with ease and picked gaps with surgical precision with a free flow of the bat. While the vintage Kohli’s cover drives kissed the turf, the shots he played on Monday had a tinge of variations, especially when he drove uppishly, more often.

Throwing light on his shots, Kohli said the need to keep evolving is the key. “Well, I mean you have to (make additions and improvements to your game). Bowlers know I play the cover drive pretty well, so they’re not going to allow me to find the gaps. Guys like KG (Kagiso Rabada) and Arshdeep (Singh) as well, he’s tall, if they’re hitting length, you have to create some momentum in the ball. Once you’re closer to the ball, you kind of negate the bounce and you meet it earlier. So, I mean, you have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game,” he explained.

RCB is yet to meet Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, et al., but any team, any bowler who runs into Kohli - perfectly dubbed the chase master, with variations now - would have to face the music.

The dreams of fans, the dream of Virat Kohli with an IPL title lives on!