During a match played by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2024, some fans shouted “Kohli ko bowling do” but he immediately shook his head no and pressed his hands to his ears. Looking back at that episode while discussing it on JioCinema with Suresh Raina, a former team-mate of Kohli’s from India, the batting maestro burst into laughter.
“I won’t bowl in the IPL,” guffawed Kohli which left Raina in stitches.
“Do teen baar puchhe ‘bowling do’. Maine kaha bhai maaf kar do. Pagal ho gaye ho kya bhai. Batting ka confidence bhi khatam ho jayega (spectators said 2-3 times give him the bowling. I said forgive me. Have you guys gone mad! I will also lose my confidence in batting),” Kohli added, and laughed.
The point made by Kohli is perhaps how batsmen are going berserk this IPL season with scores above 200 consistently becoming new normal. In fact, for most 200-plus totals in one season, most sixes in an edition, highest total successfully chased and most sixes by one side among others have been registered this year.
Still on bat form ratings; thus far, Kohli himself has been ruling after accumulating runs at the topmost level with 661 from 13 innings, which include a hundred as well as five half-centuries; he also wears an orange cap.
On Monday RCB face a must-win situation against Chennai Super Kings their fifth time champion opponents of the league stage where they need not only to beat MS Dhoni & Co but ensure that their net run rate ends up being better than that of Chennai’s too.