Virat Kohli batted freely against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League 2024. Opening the batting with captain Faf du Plessis, Kohli slammed his 100th fifty in T20 cricket. He also saved his close friend AB de Villiers from getting humiliated.
Kohli was dropped by Jonny Bairstow in the slip cordon, and the batter had not opened his account when that incident happened. It proved a costly mistake as the veteran scored 77 runs, hitting 11 fours and 2 sixes.
His knock was instrumental in his team’s win by 4 wickets, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru managed to get their first points in the 17th season.
AH de Villiers played the best cricket of his IPL career with RCB and is an ardent franchise supporter. He placed a bet with former Chennai Super Kings player Scott Styris.
AB would have to wear a CSK jersey in the match between the five-time champions and Gujarat Titans in March had Punjab defeated the Bengaluru-based franchise. If RCB manages to thump PBKS, which actually happened, Styris will wear an RCB jersey for the remaining part of the tournament.
“Virat Kohli saved me today. That couldn’t been a humiliating situation for me,” AB de Villiers said.
The legendary batter was sure of Kohli’s success in the season’s second game.
“I knew he would score runs. I could read his eyes that he was determined to get a big total for his team. Although he was silent, his face was showing that he was feeling confident ahead of the contest,” he added.
It was a day of personal milestone for the champion player, who had amassed just 21 runs against the defending champions in the previous game.
Kohli became the only third player after Chris Gayle and David Warner to hit 100 fifties in the shortest format of the game.