Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli set two new records in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament on Saturday when he played a match winning knock of 108 not out to beat Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) by seven wickets here.
Apart from being the only batsman to hit two centuries in a single edition of the IPL — he hit an unbeaten 100 against Gujarat Lions at Rajkot on April 24, Kohli is the only captain to score 500 plus runs in three IPL editions, including 505 in 2015 and 634 in 2013.
“Scoring 541 in eight games RCB played so far this season, Kohli surpassed maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 553 in 2011 and 618 in 2010 in IPL’s two editions as captain of Mumbai Indians,” cricket statistician H.R. Gopala Krishna told IANS here after the match.
Kohli’s 634 in 2013 is also a record as the most runs scored by a captain in IPL.
Though Kohli’s unbeaten 100 in 63 balls went in vain at Rajkot as RCB lost to Gujarat by six wickets, 108 not out, littered with seven mighty sixes and eight fours in 58 balls, steered the home team to victory in a must-win game, after a hat-trick of losses.
As an opener too, Kohli’s scintillating batting and superlative drives to the fence and over it not only guided RCB to the winning post, but also earned him man of the match award and another award for maximum sixes by a player in the game at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
As RCB captain for a record seven editions, Kohli was also involved in two partnerships, including 94 in 67 balls for the first wicket with local lad K.L. Rahul and 52 in 25 balls for the unbroken fourth wicket till the stipulated 20th over.
–IANS