IPL: Enjoy the Virat Kohli show as ‘it is going to finish one day'

A Virat Kohli century is nothing short of an event these days. The cricketing fraternity knows that, to quote the master batter himself, “it is going to finish one day” — and is lapping up every moment of the show during the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The expansive Raipur Stadium witnessed another of Virat Kohli’s trademark chasing masterclasses as his unbeaten 105 off 60 balls made the 190-plus target set by Kolkata Knight Riders look embarrassingly easy, helping defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru climb back to the top of the table.

It was a vintage Kohli effort, one in which he made batting appear ridiculously simple, toying with a relatively inexperienced attack through elegant strokeplay and relentless running between the wickets.

For those inclined towards numbers, it was Virat Kohli’s ninth Indian Premier League century and his 10th overall in the format, while he also became the fastest batter to reach the 14,000-run mark. The records, however, would count for little to a man who has arguably been the most influential batter in world cricket over the last decade.

What truly stands out is his relentless hunger to succeed at 36, coupled with jaw-dropping fitness levels that allow him to keep pace with the demands of the modern game — and, of course, his unmistakably fierce competitive streak.

The subject came up during TV pundit Ian Bishop’s post-match chat and Kohli’s simple answer was: ‘’I just love batting, even after all this. That is my core feeling.’’ Incidentally, there was a sudden thaw of runs in the past two games when Kohli fell without troubling the scorers – and the pressure could have built up with another failure at the business end of the tournament. A similar situation occurred when the former India captain returned to international cricket in away ODIs in Australia last year after a gap of five months, but the difference is he had been in a good nick in the long drawn IPL.      

‘’The fact that I did not score runs (last two matches) eats me up because I have been playing well. It bothers you because that has been the goal - to be the best version. Century or no century, the more important thing is to finish the game,’’ said Kohli, who is now third in the Orange Cap race after Wednesday’s match with 484 runs. Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad is perched on top with 508 runs with Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudarshan second on 501.

Asked if he felt any form of pressure after a brief barren run, Kohli observed: ‘’There is a reason people say pressure is a privilege - it keeps you humble. Good pressure always helps you improve your game. I was nervous, I just wanted to get off the mark. It takes a lot of effort but it helps your game go up. Those failures are so important because they put you in a place to get back to where you have been and do what has gotten you there.

‘’I just love batting, even after all this. That is my core feeling. What an honour to be competing at this level and against the very best still. I just give my heart and soul out there because it is going to finish one day. I want to make the most of it and look forward to pressure situations where I am feeling a bit of heat and then I challenge myself to just go for it. Sport teaches you a lot as a person. You build your character,’’ he said.

‘’Even after all these years, it is the love for the game. I just love hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. That joy is still there, and it is all God’s grace and I am thankful and grateful,’’ he said.

Hope the likes of Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma or Tilak Varma are listening!