Former Indian skipper Kris Srikkanth lavished praise on Virat Kohli after Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders at Raipur on Wednesday in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Kohli scored a majestic knock of 105 runs off just 60 balls in the run chase of 193, which is his ninth IPL century. The talismanic batter scored 11 fours and three sixes in his match-winning innings and was awarded Player of the Match.
The veteran also became the fastest batter to reach the milestone of 14000 T20 runs in his career during this knock. Kohli was dismissed for a blob in the last two games against LSG and MI and Srikkanth said the experienced batter silenced everyone by putting a 1 next to the two zeroes.
Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “By just playing copybook shots, he has reached 14000 T20 runs, which is just amazing. Everyone was talking about the back-to-back zeroes. He silenced everyone by putting a 1 next to the two zeroes. That too, when it comes to a run-chase, there is no one to touch him. His coming back to form is bad news for everyone else. SRH and PBKS are in big trouble now.”
“The beauty is he scored 105 at a 175 strike rate, and you feel like he didn’t score at all. It’s that effortless. Most of his shots were in that square leg to the midwicket region, using his wrists. Those are the most difficult shots, which he plays so easily. He doesn’t seem to be worried at any stage, despite the huge target.”
On the other hand, the 1983 World Cup-winning player said the reigning champions will still struggle without the services of Phil Salt, who is currently out with a finger injury. Jacob Bethell hasn’t been able to grab his opportunities and was dismissed after scoring 12-ball 15 against KKR.
“RCB will still struggle without Phil Salt at the top. Bethell has become another Cameron Green, just playing for himself. The saving grace for RCB is when Kohli and Padikkal play till the end of the powerplay. By doing that, they protect people like Rajat Patidar and Tim David,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
“RCB win their matches through the Kohli-Padikkal partnership. Padikkal has played a crucial catalytic role for RCB this year. Without anyone noticing, he scores crucial runs.”
Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal added 92 runs off 59 balls for the second wicket. RCB will next take on Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on Sunday.
