Aakash Chopra praised Virat Kohli for his strokeplay against both spin and pace in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2024 victory over the Gujarat Titans.
The Titans set RCB a 201-run goal in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 28. Virat Kohli then hit an unbroken 70 off 44 deliveries, helping the visitors reach the mark with nine wickets and four overs remaining.
In a YouTube video on RCB’s chase, Chopra lauded Virat Kohli for his aggressive knock.
“We got to see Kohli’s Virat avatar. He played both spin and fast bowling very well. He is trying to dominate spin this year and also hitting lofted shots extremely well in the powerplay. If we talk about players like Virat and Rohit Sharma, these players are slightly beyond numbers.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener saw that Virat Kohli executed a couple superb slog sweeps and was the aggressor in the early stages of his partnership with Will Jacks.
“However, Virat is consistently trying to run slightly faster this time. The sixes he hit off Noor Ahmed’s bowling while kneeling, he batted extremely well. He was there and then came a storm named Will Jacks. It seemed for a long time that Virat Kohli was shielding him.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also praised Jacks for thwarting the Gujarat Titans’ onslaught after he got his eye in.
“I even tweeted ‘Will Jacks to be dismissed soon’. He read it and then the way he smashed, he destroyed Mohit Sharma in one over. He was continuously bowling back-of-the-hand slower ones and Will Jacks was hitting sixes. Then he hit Rashid Khan for 29 runs in an over. It was his most expensive over to date.”
Aakash Chopra
Jacks scored an undefeated 100 off 41 balls, including five fours and ten sixes. He achieved fifty off 31 deliveries and needed only 10 more balls to hit a hundred.
Mohammad Kaif Applauds Virat Kohli’s Exceptional Six off the Back Foot in IPL 2024
Mohammad Kaif, who reviewed the match for Star Sports, hailed Virat Kohli’s performance against spin, particularly his six over long-off off Sai Kishore’s bowling.
“He got a 28-run start in the powerplay. Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore came after that. Hitting a six over extra cover is not an ordinary shot. It’s extremely difficult to hit a six off the back foot. He also ran fast, it was hot, and he brought his fitness into the game.”
Mohammad Kaif
The former India batsman stated that Kohli lay the groundwork for Will Jacks’ devastating innings.
“The cross-batted shots he is playing, he did that against Sunil (Narine) and Varun (Chakaravarthy), and he did that here as well. If 10-11 runs per over are required, you will get to see all the shots. He plays the situation. He played fast first and then Will Jacks finished the game. Virat Kohli laid the foundation.”
Mohammad Kaif
Will Jacks joined Kohli in the middle when RCB lost Faf du Plessis in the fourth over. The two put up an unbroken 166-run second-wicket stand in only 12.1 overs to enable the bottom-placed side in the points table win their third game and keep their slender playoff chances alive.