Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source : Twitter and BCCI/IPL)
Chris Gayle praised Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter, Virat Kohli after he scored his seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) hundred during their final league stage clash in the ongoing season against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday, May 21. The former RCB skipper smashed an unbeaten 101 off just 61 balls, including 13 boundaries and a maximum. Despite Kohli scoring a hundred, RCB suffered a six-wicket loss which resulted in their elimination from the IPL 2023.
Notably, Kohli became the third player in the history of the IPL to score back-to-back hundreds after scoring his second century this season. Previously, Kohli scored a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing season. Scoring his seventh hundred, the 34-year-old surpassed Gayle who held the record for the most hundreds (6).
The former RCB exclaimed after witnessing Virat Kohli‘s innings, stating that ‘never doubt Kohli’. The ex-West Indies legend also said that Kohli has put his team in a winning position. Moreover, the ‘Universe Boss’ also stated that he was mulling over coming out of retirement after Kohli broke into the record books.
He has passed the Universe Boss, I will see you next year Virat: Gayle
“Never doubt Virat Kohli. Fantastic innings, well played, you know, he has put his team in a winning position,” Gayle said during the mid-innings break on Jio Cinema.
Gayle went on to say that the RCB’s innings were all about Kohli, calling it a fantastic innings. The 43-year-old then joked that he was going to come out of retirement.
“Virat and Faf batted really well, but it was all about Virat Kohli… Fantastic innings by Virat, he has passed the Universe Boss. I am coming back out of retirement and I will see you next year Virat,” Gayle joked during the game.
Speaking about the game, RCB set a 198-run target for the Hardik Pandya-led side after being invited to bat first. In response, opener Shubman Gill scored his second IPL hundred this season, as GT chased down the target in 19.1 overs. The youngster smashed an unbeaten 104 off 52 deliveries including five boundaries and eight maximums.