Legendary Sachin Tendulkar penned a special note for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli after he scored a magnificent century during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), on Thursday, May 18. The former RCB skipper reached the three-figure mark off 63 balls, including 12 boundaries and four sixes. This was Kohli’s first IPL hundred since 2019 and his sixth overall, tying Chris Gayle’s record for the most number of tons in the history of the cash-rich league.
Former players and commentators, including Tendulkar, expressed their admiration for Kohli‘s accomplishment during the match against SRH. Tendulkar said that it was clear from the start of the innings that it was going to be Kohli’s day. The Master Blaster also lauded the RCB openers Kohli and Du Plessis for their 172-run opening partnership during the 187-run chase.
“It was evident that this would be Virat’s day from the very first ball when he played that cover drive. Virat and Faf both looked in total control, they not only played many big shots but also ran rather well between the wickets to build a successful partnership. 186 wasn’t a big enough total for the way they both batted,” Tendulkar tweeted.
See Sachin Tendulkar’s Twitter post:
Kohli-Du Plessis opening partnership helps RCB beat SRH
Speaking about the match, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and invited SRH to bat first. When the top-order batters struggled against the RCB bowling attack, keeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen (104 off 51) smashed a century as SRH set the visitors a fair 187-run target. RCB, on the other hand, were spearheaded by Kohli and Du Plessis, who helped the team chase down the target in 19.2 overs. The Proteas batter struck 71 off 47 balls and currently leads the IPL 2023 Orange Cap list with 702 runs from 13 innings at an average of 58.5 and a strike rate of 153.95.