It was Kohli’s seventh hundred in the IPL, making him the batsman with the most hundreds in league history. The RCB opener surpassed West Indies great Chris Gayle’s record of six IPL hundreds in Bangalore after equaling the record in his previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad last Thursday.
Kohli also became just the third batsman to score consecutive hundreds in the IPL – 101* against GT and 100 against SRH, joining the elite list which includes Shikhar Dhawan, for Delhi Capitals in 2020, and Jos Buttler, who he did it for Rajasthan Royals last season.
Kohli completed the record ton with a single from the first delivery of the last over, bowled by pacer GT Mohit Sharma. There was little to no celebration from the master batsman after the finish, but fans, including his wife Anushka Sharma, looked enthusiastic in the stands.
Kohli’s record-breaking feat, which included a six and 13 fours, helped Royal Challengers Bangalore post a challenging 197 for 5 against table-toppers Gujarat Titans in the final match of the league stage of the IPL 2023.
“We would have taken it [the total of 197/5] with both hands once we were five wickets down. We pretty much pulled things back towards the end. Close to 200 is a winnable score for me. It’s up to the bowlers to perform,” Kohli said speaking to broadcasters in the mid-innings.
Kohli also pointed out that he feels really good about his T20 game and is always looking to tackle situations as a batsman.
“It felt great. A lot of people think my T20 cricket is going downhill, I don’t think so. I try to fill in the gaps and then the bigger ones towards the end. You have to read situations and deal with situations. I really feel I’m fine with my game at the moment. Spin hasn’t been easy to get away with. There’s enough on this ground for our bowlers. What matters is we stay in the present. I wasn’t focusing on the rain, I was focusing on what I have to do for the team” added Kohli.
The final league match of the season at M Chinnaswamy Stadium got a delayed start due to rain and hosts RCB sent to bat first by skipper GT Hardik Pandyawho won the toss.
