Virat Kohli silenced his strike-rate critics with a blistering 92 runs off 47 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 58th match of IPL 2024 on Thursday. Kohli provided stability after RCB lost two early wickets.

He stood firm and attacked the bowlers effectively. The 35-year-old's catch was dropped twice by PBKS fielders. He continued his aggressive approach throughout his innings. Reaching the 90s with a four and six off Arshdeep Singh, Kohli aimed for a century but fell short by eight runs, caught by Rilee Rossouw in the 18th over. His knock included seven fours and six sixes, with a strike rate of 195.74.

"Focused on Momentum"

Speaking at the mid-innings break, Kohli addressed his critics, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a high scoring rate.

"It was important to keep the strike rate up throughout the innings," he said with a laugh. "I was just focused on taking the momentum forward. There was a tricky phase when Rajat got out, and the rain and hail break stopped our momentum. We had to rebuild for eight to 10 balls. Once the base was set and Glenn Maxwell got some boundaries away, I thought I had to go again."

Pitch Report

Kohli described the pitch as dry with some grass cover. "The surface was pretty dry underneath, and there was some grass coverage as well," he said. "Faf du Plessis and I were done in by the lack of pace off the pitch. There was a two-paced feel with the new ball, which I think is a great opportunity for our bowlers to make early inroads and exploit that swing out there."

Target Talk

Kohli opined that a score over 230 was a par score in Dharamsala. "We thought anything over 230 would be a good total here," he said. "That was the only mindset. That was a hell of an over from Harshal Patel in the last over, otherwise we would've been 250-plus."

Kaverappa's Debut

Asked about PBKS debutant Vidwath Kaverappa, who took two wickets, Kohli said: "It's difficult to analyze someone in one game. He has swing in his hand. That's the thing when you're playing your first game and people haven't played you — you get away with it. You try to figure out variations and stuff like that. Kudos to him — he bowled good areas. But after the three overs when he came for the fourth, we knew the swing was done and then we went after him."

Milestone Maker

Kohli achieved several milestones during his knock. He became the first player to cross 600 runs in IPL 2024, his fourth time achieving this feat in the tournament. He also became the first player to score over 1,000 runs against three teams in an IPL season.