IPL, Behind the Click: When Virat Kohli Played with Stitches

image-lftej3t3Kohli scored a century inside 15 overs [Twitter]

Virat Kohli is a tough character and he has shown it time after time. A cricketer with thousand emotions, Kohli has never been afraid to showcase it on a cricket field.

One Such incident occurred during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) season when the King battled through a horrific injury in a do-or-die game and won it single handedly for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

It was the famous match against the Punjab Kings (then known as Kings XI Punjab), and the match was reduced to a 15-over affair due to rain.

A match prior to this, Kohli suffered a split webbing on his hand while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders. After that game, Kohli said: “I might need 7-8 stitches, but I don’t mind 10 stitches on my hand if we win the next two matches.”

RCB had to win their next game against Punjab Kings in order to stay alive in the competition. But when rain god arrived in Bengaluru, it looked like even the god was against RCB, but things changed, rain stopped and the fans were able to witness a game reduced to 15-overs.

Batting first, RCB had no choice but to go hard right from the word go. It was the deadly duo of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, who calmed things down for the RCB dugout with an array of stroke-making never seen before.

Chris Gayle is a master of T20 cricket, and to go toe-to-toe with him is no easy feat, but Kohli did that to perfection. He was injured, but the zeal to succeed, the zeal to help his side progress through to the next round brought a different version of King Kohli as he toyed away with PBKS bowlers for fun.

Scoring a century in a T20 game is a tough ask for any batter, but Virat Kohli went a notch-above and brought his 4th century of the season in just 15 overs. You could clearly see the emotions in his eyes when the landmark was achieved.

The then RCB skipper removed his helmet, pointed towards the stitches and showed the world why he is cut from a different cloth.

The target of 212 was too hot to handle for PBKS as they were restricted to 120 for 9, losing the match by 82 runs.