It was an outstanding innings: Virat Kohli on Devdutt’s brilliant ton

The Royal Challengers Bangalore continue their winning form in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2021 season. After completing the Chennai leg of the tournament with a perfect record, the men in Red and Gold absolutely put on a batting spectacle against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai. On Thursday, RCB recorded their fourth 10-wicket victory, the most by any team in the IPL.

Having won the toss, RCB decided to put their opposition to bat first, and Royals set a 178-run target for the Bengaluru-based club to chase. In reply, RCB began their chase with ease and perfection, with captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt not allowing the RR bowlers to settle at all. 

The duo stitched a massive 181-run unbeaten partnership, which saw the Karnataka youngster bring up his maiden IPL ton off just 51 balls. On the other hand, the 32-year-old scored a brilliant 72 runs off 47 balls and remained not-out as well. It is also worth noting that Kohli became the first player to breach the 6,000-run mark in the cash-rich league.

During the post-match presentation, India and RCB skipper, Virat Kohli lavished praises on the 20-year-old for his magnificent innings and flawless execution of the shots.

“It was an outstanding innings. He batted really well for his first season last time. There was a lot of talk about him not accelerating after getting to 30s. He's put all that to rest. It was a good pitch to bat on, to be honest, and him being tall meant that bowlers struggled with their lengths," Virat Kohli told Harsha Bhogle in the post-match presentation.

On his partnership with Devdutt

“T20 cricket is always about partnership cricket. You can't always go big from the word go. When one guy is going well, it's important for me to ensure that I don't lose my wicket. It can change on other days.” 

Go get to your landmark, said Captain Kohli

“We spoke about it (on the 100). He told me to finish it off, I told him to get to it first. He said many will come, I said, yeah, you can say that after you get to the landmark. He deserved to get the three-figure mark.” 

Virat credits his bowlers for delivering when it was needed the most

“We don't have standout names (in bowling) but we have effective ones. We have depth in our bowling. They are professionals. We have taken the most wickets in the death overs this season so far and it's something we take pride in. Dev's innings was a great one but I'd also like to credit the bowlers for setting it up. (to the fans) I'd say don't be overexcited. We're being professional. We're moving in the right direction,” Virat added.