NEW DELHI: On Monday, as
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
began their home stretch of the competition,
Virat Kohli
signalled his return to form with a sparkling 49-ball 77 (11x4; 2x6) against Punjab Kings.
Opening the innings, Kohli laid the foundation for the 177-run chase and brought up his 100th T20 half-century in 31 deliveries.
The 35-year-old looked in majestic touch.
He hit eight fours in powerplay, and the runs continued to flow freely as he set up the pathway for his team's first win of the season.
Following Kohli's knock, his childhood coach
Rajkumar Sharma
took to his official Instagram handle to laud his disciple and posted a picture with the caption: "His bat does the talking".
Kohli, who missed India's 4-1 Test series victory over England because of the birth of his second child, has played just two T20 internationals for India since November 2022.
Some critics suggested he is not an automatic selection for this year's
T20 World Cup
but Kohli has answered back with this latest knock.