Kohli leads Bengaluru chase in IPL as Sudharsan's ton goes in vain
- Kohli, fondly known as the ‘chase master’, lived up to his reputation after opening alongside Jacob Bethell, who departed early
BENGALURU: Veteran batter Virat Kohli’s chasing heroics overshadowed an impressive century from Sai Sudharsan as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
Kohli led the 206-run chase with a commanding 81 off 44 balls, sharing a decisive stand with local favourite Devdutt Padikkal at the batting-friendly M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, sealing the win in 18.5 overs.
Put in to bat, Gujarat opener Sudharsan dominated the Bengaluru attack from the outset, striking a fluent 100 off 58 balls to lift his side to 205-3, but his effort proved insufficient as Bengaluru made light work of the chase.
Kohli, fondly known as the ‘chase master’, lived up to his reputation after opening alongside Jacob Bethell, who departed early.
Dropped off the first ball he faced, Kohli made Gujarat pay, taking control of the innings and accelerating relentlessly as the crowd repeatedly chanted his name.
He struck eight fours and four sixes before Gujarat fast bowler Jason Holder briefly stemmed the flow by bowling him.
Kohli smashed his bat onto his pads and walked off visibly frustrated after missing out on finishing the chase.
However, the knock lifted him to the top of the season’s run-scoring charts.
Padikkal matched the tempo at the other end with an electrifying knock of 55 off 27 balls including two fours and six sixes, before getting bowled by spinner Rashid Khan.
“Dev’s innings was the clear difference in the first half, and then I was just trying to stay in the game enough so that he doesn’t feel all the pressure,” said Kohli, who was named player of the match.
“It was my responsibility to try and hit boundaries at the right times. That partnership was the game seeker and the game changer for us eventually.”
The final touches to the win were applied by Krunal Pandya and Tim David, who completed the chase after a brief wobble that saw two wickets fall in quick succession.
Earlier, the 24-year-old Sudharsan’s innings was studded with 11 fours and five sixes before he was eventually caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood. Captain Shubman Gill played a supporting role, contributing 32 off 24 balls.
Despite late cameos from Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar and Jason Holder, Gujarat were restricted to 205.
“From 16th to 19th (over), we couldn’t get any boundaries and couldn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. Those were crucial overs for us,” said Gill.
The win lifted Bengaluru to second place in the standings, and they next face Delhi Capitals on Monday.
Bengaluru played their final league match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, with the side set to move to Raipur for their remaining home fixtures.
Seventh-placed Gujarat will look to recover when they meet Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
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