"If I Get To The Level...": Virat Kohli's Message To RCB Fans Is Pure Belief

24.03.2023 - 17:51 sports.ndtv.com

Truly one of the greatest batters of all time, Virat Kohli was unarguably at one of the lowest points in his career over the last 2-3 years where he could not hit a single hundred.

However, over the last few months, the veteran batter seems to be nearing his best, having scored a century each in all three formats.

Ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kohli has given an excellent message of hope to the franchise's fans.

Kohli broke his century drought with a triple-digit score against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup last year before carrying his form into ODIs, scoring multiple hundreds.

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The second week of IPL is living up to its reputation of being an incredible league. Between Monday and Thursday, there have been four back-to-back last-ball thrillers. Rajasthan Royals produced a stunning performance and breached fortress Chepauk by defeating Chennai for the first time since 2008. Sandeep Sharma kept his cool in the final over and defended 20 runs to give his team a famous win, preventing MS Dhoni - the finisher - from finishing it off in style. Apart from Sandeep's display under pressure in the final over, RR's spin trio of Ashwin-Chahal-Zampa bowled beautifully and Jos Buttler's gritty half-century took them to a competitive total.

Virat Kohli, Harshal Patel's 'Milestone Moments' Overshadowed By RCB's Loss To LSG

The Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants match went down the wire, with KL Rahul's side securing a 1-wicket win on the last ball, that too because of a bye. The match saw some stunning batting performances from both teams, with RCB stalwart Virat Kohli also scoring a half-century. Harshal Patel, given the task of defending 5 runs in the final over, almost pulled it off before in a drama-filled final over. Though the match ended in LSG's favour, both Kohli and Harshal did have some personal milestones to celebrate in the end.

IPL 2023: Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli's Pictures After LSG's Last-Ball Win Over RCB Are Viral

No matter what is said about Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, the two cricketing icons have nothing but respect for each other. After Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lost a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 contest against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday, a picture emerged featuring Kohli and Gambhir that has soothed the souls of cricket lovers in the country. Gambhir was understandably pumped after the Lucknow franchise secured a thrilling last-ball win while Kohli was heartbroken. But, between the two, there was only mutual respect and admiration.

Watch: LSG's Amit Mishra Mistakenly Applies Saliva On Ball, Gets Virat Kohli Out In Same Over

The Covid-19 pandemic saw plenty of new rules being brought into cricket. While many rules were later removed as the restrictions eased, the one that remained intact is the ban on the usage of saliva on the ball. In the pre-Covid world, cricketers used to apply saliva on the ball to make it swing, however, the ICC has now banned it. The players nowadays can use their sweat to shine the ball. Since it has been a long time now since the change was brought, the players have adapted to it.

IPL 2023 - Virat Kohli "Concerned About Milestone": Ex NZ Star Slams RCB Star For Slow Approach To Half-century

Virat Kohli slammed his 46th half-century in the Indian Premier League on Monday. Playing against Lucknow Super Giants, the Royal Challengers Bangalore former captain reached the 50-run mark in 35 balls. It was his second half-century in IPL 2023. However, Kohli had reached 42 in 25 balls. He took 10 balls to score the next eight runs. That slow approach did not go down well with former New Zealand player Simon Doull, who was commentating for the official broadcasters.

Virat Kohli Shouldn't Open Batting For RCB. Ex India Star Explains Why

With over 100 runs in the first two matches, Virat Kohli has begun the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an emphatic fashion. Kohli's performances have instilled big hopes in the hearts of fans who have been dreaming to see the franchise lifting the coveted trophy since the beginning of the T20 league in 2008. However, going forward, former India star Irfan Pathan has urged Kohli to leave the opening spot and bat in the middle order for the RCB.