There's Going to Be Carnage for Bowlers: Former Cricketers 'Hail' Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli scored a magnificent 82* [AP Photos]
It was carnage at the Chinnaswamy stadium last night as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) thrashed Mumbai Indians (MI) by 8-wickets to make a 'bold' statement in their tournament opener.
Chasing 172, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis made a mockery of the total and took the MI bowlers to the cleaners as the target was chased with 22 balls to spare.
Virat Kohli made a triumphic return to Bangalore with a scintillating unbeaten 82 off 49 deliveries and stitched a 148-run opening stand alongside du Plessis. The former India and RCB skipper also took a special liking towards Jofra Archer and smacked him all over the park to rattle the Englishman.
Following Kohli's heroics, his fomer RCB teammate, Chris Gayle revealed that he had a chat with AB de Villiers regarding Kohli's form and stated that this could well turn out to be Virat Kohli's IPL.
“I'm sure. There's no pressure on Virat. We talked about him before the tournament, me and AB. AB said, 'hey, he's a bit hungry. There's no pressure. And we have seen Virat in 2016. And this could be trouble for bowlers'. He got a brilliant start, 82 not out. There's going to be carnage for bowlers in the days to come,” Gayle said on Jio Cinema.
Former Aussie legend, Aaron Finch also went ga-ga over Kohli's counter punch against the Mumbai Indians.
“Incredible hitting. First up, he plays on, the shot for me was one off Jofra Archer at mid-off. To me, that tells me that he's incredibly well-balanced at the crease. A phenomenal knock, and a great partnership with skipper Faf du Plessis,” Finch said on Star Sports.
The praise didn't stop there as one of the best all-rounders the game has ever seen, Jacques Kallis, was in awe of Virat Kohli's shots and reckons that he is a difficult batter to bowl to as he 'rotates' the strike brilliantly.
“He brings the energy. He's a difficult guy to bowl to, because upfront, he doesn't hurt you with hitting those big sixes, he plays some ball to the ground, knocks it around, hurts you with fours. So, it's the consistency that's there. The partnership with Faf, he played the more aggressive role. He played the perfect game tonight,” said Kallis.
RCB fans will hope that Kohli continues this rich vein of form in the upcoming games as well.
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
