NEW DELHI: On Monday, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their home stretch of the competition, Virat Kohli signalled his return to form with a sparkling 49-ball 77 (11x4; 2x6) against Punjab Kings.
Opening the innings, Kohli laid the foundation for the 177-run chase and brought up his 100th T20 half-century in 31 deliveries.
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The 35-year-old looked in majestic touch. He hit eight fours in powerplay, and the runs continued to flow freely as he set up the pathway for his team's first win of the season.
Following Kohli's knock, his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma took to his official Instagram handle to laud his disciple and posted a picture with the caption: "His bat does the talking".
Kohli, who missed India's 4-1 Test series victory over England because of the birth of his second child, has played just two T20 internationals for India since November 2022.
Some critics suggested he is not an automatic selection for this year's T20 World Cup but Kohli has answered back with this latest knock.
1/10:Virat Kohli helps RCB beat Punjab Kings
PTI
2/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Kohli powered RCB to victory, smashing 77 with 11 fours and two sixes in a 49-ball blitz. His performance helped them chase down 177 runs with four balls to spare, bouncing back from their previous loss in the tournament opener.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>Bengaluru chose to field first against Punjab. After Siraj dismissed Bairstow for eight runs, they continued to take regular wickets.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:Shikhar Dhawan
<p>Maxwell made a significant breakthrough by dismissing skipper Shikhar for 45 runs off 37 balls, including five fours and a six. At that point, PBKS was 98/4 in 12.1 overs.<br /></p>PTI
5/10:Curran and Jitesh
<p>Curran and Jitesh reached their 50-run partnership, taking the team to 150 runs in 17.4 overs. Dayal broke the partnership by dismissing Curran for 23 runs off 17 balls, including three fours. At that point, PBKS was 150/5 in 17.4 overs.<br /></p>AP
6/10:Shashank Singh
<p>In Joseph's last over, Shashank Singh smashed two sixes and a four. PBKS concluded their innings at 176/6, with Shashank unbeaten on 21* from eight balls, including a four and two sixes, while Harpreet Brar remained unbeaten on 2*.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:Kagiso Rabada
<p>Punjab's Kagiso Rabada made an early impact, dismissing skipper Faf du Plessis and Cameron Green, both for just three runs.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:Harpreet Brar
<p>Harpreet Brar shifted the momentum in PBKS's favor by dismissing Patidar (18) and Glenn Maxwell (3) in rapid succession.<br /></p>PTI
9/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Virat Kohli reached his 51st IPL fifty in just 31 balls. He also became the third batsman, following Chris Gayle and David Warner, to achieve 100 fifty-plus scores in T20 cricket.<br /></p>ANI
