Kaif recalls Virat Kohli’s hunger for runs in early days of IPL
Cricketer turned commentator Mohammad Kaif recalled an interesting story involving flamboyant Royal Challengers Bangalore batter Virat Kohli during his early days in the IPL. Notably, RCB were humbled by Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens by 81 runs on Thursday, April 6.
After posting a humongous 205-run target, RCB had a massive uphill task during the chase and required a solid foundation by the openers. Both Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis got off to a brisk start but were bamboozled by spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine which was the start of their downfall.
During the midst of the contest, Mohammad Kaif, in his commentary stint with Star Sports revealed an interesting story of Kohli during his formative years in the top-tier league. Kaif stated that the Delhi-born batter was furious about playing a poor shot and made a bold statement when the duo shared the dressing room for the side.
“There was this one time when Virat Kohli got out the same way he was dismissed today (vs KKR on Thursday). I was sitting right beside him, and I thought he will definitely throw his bat in anger. And yes, when he came, he threw his bat straightaway, and removed his pad. I was sitting beside him, and he said, ‘I’m going to score big the next time’,” Kaif recalled.
“In the next innings, he scored an unbeaten 72. Imagine. He had gone out, and he was upset. But he forgot that before coming to bat in the next match, scored 72. Then, I realized that this player is special,” Kaif further said.
Kohli notched up a sensational half-century (82*) against Mumbai Indians in the first outing but failed to score big against KKR (21 runs off 18 balls). He will next be seen in action against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, April 10. While RCB will be vying to obtain results in their favour, the 34-year-old will look to get back to his destructive best and help his team get ahead in the competition.
