Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 14 : Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan hailed Virat Kohli for his sensational century against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), pointing out how keen he was to overcome a dip after two back-to-back ducks and was the first player on the ground even when it was raining before the match, taking a good look at the surface.
After two back-to-back ducks, Virat's bat created history as he became the first Indian to score 10 T20 centuries and reach the 14,000 run mark against KKR at Raipur on Wednesday. Handing RCB their eighth win in 12 matches, the defending champions now have a chance of finishing within the top two in the points table, currently at the top of the table.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Pathan said, "Virat Kohli is not just the name of a player, but it is an emotion. The ground was wet, we were preparing for the game. It was raining. I saw Kohli come out to the ground first. He was looking at the ground, the pitch, and how wet it was. All other players came after him. This is the guy who has achieved everything. But after two zeroes, he came first to the ground as he wanted to plan and make an impact. He wanted it not to rain again and for the match to happen. He was so keen, just after a small failure, so keen to overturn that failure."
Irfan also spoke on Virat's fist-pumping celebration after opening his run tally, saying that "it felt like a small kid who gets so happy after getting a run."
"Before the game began, I had said that if some player could go back to his old template in the same tournament, that is only one guy - Virat Kohli. This season, he has played 30 per cent aerial shots. In this game, it was necessary to go back to his old template. If there is one player who can switch so nicely, it is Kohli," he stated.
Coming to the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first, reducing KKR to 48/2. It was knocks from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (71* in 46 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Rinku Singh (49* in 32 balls, with three fours and two sixes) which took KKR to 192/4 in 20 overs.
Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a wicket each.
During the chase, Virat lost his opening partner, Jacob Bethell (15), early once again, but a 92-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal (39 in 27 balls, with seven fours) kept RCB above the required run-rate. Towards the end, it was Virat all over KKR as RCB chased down the total in 19.1 overs with six wickets in hand.
RCB is back to the top of the table, with eight wins and four losses, giving them 16 points. On the other hand, KKR, which was on a four-match unbeaten streak after six winless matches (spanning five losses and a no result), face a massive dent to their playoff chances, making their final three matches a must-win affair.