NEW DELHI: Star Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener
Virat Kohli
produced an absolute masterclass on Saturday, firing a record-extending 8th Indian Premier League ton in the clash against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday.
In a scintillating display of strokeplay and improvisation, Kohli struck a 67-ball century, which was the first of the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 113, lifting RCB to a solid 183 for three at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Cracking 12 fours and four sixes during his stay in the middle, Kohli played a near-perfect knock delighting a packed-house stadium.
Kohli knock came at a strike rate of over 156 as it was also his first century against the Royals.
The ton was Kohli's 9th in T20 cricket. However Kohli century was also the joint-slowest IPL tons alongside
Manish Pandey
's (67 balls).
The century also took Kohli to the third spot on the list of cricketers with most hundreds in men’s T20 cricket after
Chris Gayle
(22) and Babar Azam (11).
"The wicket looks quite different from the outside. It feels like it's flat, but the ball is holding up in the pitch, that's when you realise the pace changes. One of us (Virat or Faf) had to bat till the end. I feel this total is effective on this pitch. I am not coming in with any premeditation. I knew I couldn't get over aggressive, just that I had to keep the bowlers guessing. It's just experience and maturity of playing the conditions. Even if there's dew, the surface is rough and dry, won't be easy for the batters," Kohli said after hitting an unbeaten 72-ball 113.
Earlier, Kohli also became the first batter ever to score 7,500 runs in IPL.
With 316 runs in 5 matches, Kohli is currently the top run-scorer in this year's edition of the tournament.
Kohli has hit 2 fifties an a ton this season so far.
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