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Chasing 172, Kohli turned back the clock and brought on the chase master to hit six fours and five sixes in his perfectly crafted innings. The 34-year-old superstar batsman ended the match by scoring a maximum off Arshdeep Singh at the long-on boundary.

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Notably, in the 2016 edition of the IPL, Kohli scored 973 runs at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. Four centuries and seven fifties came out of his blade in the season. No other batsman in the history of IPL has scored more than 900 runs in a single season.

“I am sure (signs are), there is no pressure on Virat this year. We talked about it before the tournament. Me and AB. AB said ‘Hey, he is hungry, no pressure’. We Have seen the Virat we saw in 2016 and it can be a problem for the bowlers.”

“It could be very interesting to see how he goes on. Brilliant start on 82 not out.

The former RCB player said that the massive support from the fans at the stadium would help even a player like Kohli. IPL has returned to its traditional Home and Away format for the first time since 2019. Fans turned up in large numbers to cheer on the home team RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

“It (crowd support) will help a lot. The fans have a big role to play in this as well. They haven’t had a home game in 3 years. You want to prove something to the fans. It will motivate a player Like Virat doing good for his fans. We saw him cheering for the team all night. I am happy.”

Gayle also talked about RCB’s opening combination of Kohli and du Plessis. He has both players feeding off each other’s energy.

“This is nothing new for Faf. We all know his class, he has done it in IPL and international cricket as well. He is an amazing leader. One thing I can tell you, Virat and Faf love each other Totally fed.” They’ll be looking for drops and runs, picking up 1s and 2s. And when the time comes, they’ll be ready to take them down,” he said.

RCB will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Thursday.

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