Virat Kohli has been in good form in the IPL 2023 and it is a good sign for his team. He becomes the player who scored the most centuries in IPL history along with Chris Gayle. He achieved this milestone yesterday when he scored an outstanding hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
SRH vs RCB Match 65
Venue- Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
It was a crucial game for RCB to be able to be in the race for the playoffs. Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field first.
SRH didn’t start off well and lost both their openers inside 5 overs. Then, captain Aiden Markram and H Klaasen steadied the ship and added 76 runs for the 3rd wicket. The former was struggling to get going and the bulk of the scoring was done by his partner, H Klaasen.
Heinrich Klaasen played a blinder of a knock
Klaasen didn’t stop there and went on to score a hundred in the first inning. He scored 104 off 51 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes. Harry Brook also played a cameo of 27 runs. SRH scored 186 in the first inning.
AB de Villiers also hailed Klaasen’s inning
Klaasen’s former SA teammate, AB de Villiers also praised his inning. He said that this is one of the best innings he saw in the IPL and the best in this IPL. AB said this via Twitter.
Virat and Faf went hard at SRH bowlers
When RCB came out to chase a target, Virat Kohli started off really well and hit two boundaries off the first two balls of the inning to B Kumar.
Both Faf and Virat played their shots and added 64 runs in the first powerplay. They didn’t stop even after the powerplay and the only chance that occurred for SRH is Faf’s wicket off N Reddy. But later, the replay shows it was a 2nd bouncer of the over and it was a no-ball.
Both the batters reached their fifties in the 12th over. Virat Kohli took charge after that and becomes more aggressive. He completes his hundred with a six over deep mid-wicket to B Kumar. It was his 6th IPL hundred and it came after 4 years.
Virat Kohli went hard after the bowlers from ball one. And he said that in the post match presentation as well.
RCB won the game by 8 wickets. Faf du Plessis also scored 71 off 47 balls.
Virat Kohli equals his former teammate’s record
Before that, this record was with Chris Gayle, Virat’s former RCB opener and teammate. Chris has hit 6 centuries in IPL history. And now, Virat Kohli also becomes the player who scored 6 centuries in the IPL till now.
Good signs for RCB and for Team India
Virat’s form is a good sign not only for RCB but for team India as well. Team India is scheduled to play an all important World Test Championship final next month. Also, this is an ICC WC year as well. In that case, the form of Virat Kohli is crucial for the team. They would want him to be in good touch.
As far as RCB is concerned, Virat is doing well for them and till now, he scored 538 runs with an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 135.86 in 13 innings. He has scored 6 fifties and a hundred in the IPL 2023 so far.
Overall IPL stats of Virat Kohli:-
The former India and RCB captain started his IPL career with RCB. And since then, he is the only Indian player who played for the same franchise in all IPL editions.
In 236 matches in the IPL so far, he scored 7162 runs with an average of 36.73 and a strike rate of 129.63. He has scored 50 half centuries and 6 hundred in that period. His highest score in IPL is 113 which came against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2016.
Other players who scored the most hundreds in IPL history
Other than Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, there are a few other players who scored hundreds in the IPL history. Jos Buttler has scored 5 hundred in the IPL.
KL Rahul, David Warner, and Shane Watson have also scored 4 hundred each in IPL history.
Sanju Samson and AB de Villiers are the two non openers who scored 3 hundred each.
Conclusion
So these are the few players who scored hundreds in IPL history. The conclusion is Virat Kohli now equals the record of Chris Gayle of scoring 6 hundred in IPL history. We know how good a player Virat is. He is a legend of the game. And you never know, he might score more centuries in years to come. Virat can easily play the IPL for the next 2-3 more years. Let’s see how he does in the future.
Right now, his only focus will be the next game against Gujarat Titans on May 21. They will be tough opponent to beat. RCB needs to win this game to have the fate of playoffs in their own hands.
What do you think? Will Virat Kohli score more centuries in the future? Comment your answer below.
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