Decoding Kohli's Curious Knock: An Innings From Earlier Era In IPL 2025 Final

Virat Kohli In IPL 2025 Final [Source: AP Photos]

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won the IPL 2025 and it is their maiden title win in 18 years. Virat Kohl has been the biggest ambassador of the franchise since the inception of the tournament. And going by the role he played for the franchise in his long tenure, the genius came up with a knock that laid the foundation of the final win over the Punjab Kings.

Even though Kohli adapted himself to the situation and the condition of the pitch and played an innings well suited for the occasion, his critics were seen talking about the strike rate. So, let us delve deeper into the knock and analyse the knits and grits of the knock. 

When Modern Cricket Met Old-School Temperament

The Ahmedabad surface presented unique challenges with tennis-ball bounce that made timing difficult, especially for Kohli's favoured pull shots. While contemporary T20 batting emphasises adaptation and innovation, Kohli's innings reflected a more traditional approach of getting himself adjusted to the pace and bounce of the track and holding one end for his team.

Kohli's season-long struggle in overs 7-10, where his strike rate is ranked third-lowest among batters facing 50+ balls in this phase, manifested prominently in the final.

The Technical Breakdown: Scrutinising Shot Selection

Throughout his stay in the middle, Virat Kohli often deployed the pull shot as the PBKS bowlers were trying to stay away from his range on a track that was holding up and providing a tennis ball bounce. Even though the shot did not yield too much positive results for him, Kohli persisted with playing and ultimately fell to one off Omarzai's bowling.

The data suggests Kohli's shot distribution favored high-risk, low-success options on a challenging surface.

The Broader Context: Pressure and Expectations

This marked RCB's fourth final appearance, having lost their previous three in 2009, 2011, and 2016. The psychological burden of delivering RCB's maiden title likely influenced Kohli's conservative approach.

For RCB fans, defeat would have meant a fourth defeat in a fourth final and another bitter blow for Virat Kohli after his record eighth season with 500-plus runs.

The Strategic Vindication: Why Restraint Worked

Despite criticism, Kohli's innings served crucial functions:

• Stability Provider: While other top-order batters kept falling just when they were looking threatening, Kohli anchored the innings
• Platform Builder: His 43 runs formed the backbone of RCB's 190/9
• Pressure Absorber: Enabled later batters like Jitesh Sharma to play freely later in the innings

Modern T20 Lessons: The Art of Situational Batting

Kohli's innings challenges modern T20 orthodoxy by proving that sometimes, match awareness trumps aggressive intent. In an era obsessed with strike rates and boundary percentages, this knock demonstrated that context remains king.

Conclusion

Kohli's 43 off 35 balls ultimately marked the end of a long wait and helped silence all his critics by delivering what mattered most – the trophy. While purists might dissect the technical inadequacies, this innings proved that in cricket's most pressure-filled moments, sometimes the old ways still work.

In the final analysis, Kohli's curious knock serves as a reminder that cricket remains a game where results matter more than methods, and where emotional fulfilment can transcend statistical perfection.

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