Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exhilarating-duo of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, who entertained the crowd with their record 229-run partnership for the second wicket in RCB’s 144 runs win over Gujarat Lions, revealed their mid-pitch chat when they were smashing records left, right and centre.
The partnership included 20 sixes and 15 fours. AB finished with 129 not out off just 52, and Virat got his third triple-digit score – 109 from 55 – in the same season of the Indian Premier League.
Also read: AB de Villiers showers praise on skipper Virat Kohli
RCB might not have been in their best form through the season, but they are definitely picking momentum at the right time. In a thriller of a game last night at the Chinnaswamy stadium, RCB set a mammoth total of 248 for the Gujarat Lions to chase down. The bowlers came to the party at the right occasion, and RCB won the game by a record 144 runs.
AB de Villiers was the more dominant one through the innings with his century coming in the 16th over from just 43 balls. Kohli’s century looked quite impossible as he was on just 51 from 40 balls by the time his partner reached his century and added just one more run before he faced the 18th over.
India’s batting hero blasted 13 runs on the first four balls of the 18th over and then smashed another four sixes and a four in the penultimate over, to race to 95 not out. Just like all his fans would have been hoping, his partner too walked up to him at that point and cheekily told him that another triple-digit score was on its way.
"When the chinaman (bowler Shivil Kaushik) was bowling and I hit him for three sixes, (De Villiers) came up to me and said 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?'
"I said 'no, just keep quiet. I don't want to hear it!'”
"So I just kept ... hitting it and eventually I got to the three-figure mark," said a pleased Kohli at the post-match presentation.
The RCB captain reached his third ton in seven IPL innings this season – being the only batsman to do so – with another six in the final over, before he perished after two balls going for another big shot.
AB is an absolute legend: Kohli
Kohli was pleased with his century, but being the humble guy that he is, seemed more impressed by his partner’s brilliant knock of 129 not out, and also showered praise on his team’s overall performance.
"(My century) is irrelevant in terms of what we want to achieve as a team. When you get 250-odd, have a partnership of 200 with AB, get a hundred yourself and watch his hundred, I can't ask for more as a batsman.
"It's always a pleasure batting with AB. It was a wonderful partnership again. He's just an absolute legend. He gave me so much confidence. I started off slowly but he just took over and you saw what he can do when he gets set," he said.
The South African batsman, being the doting husband, said the presence of his wife Danielle in the stands at Chinnaswamy was the secret to his knock last night.
"My secret's very, very simple - my wife came to watch me today," the South African said.
AB also appreciated his RCB captain and ended saying that he hates facing dot-balls in T20. AB was bowled nine dot balls last night by Jadeja.
"It's always a pleasure batting with (Kohli). At my age of 32 I'm carrying it a bit heavier than him. He's looking much fitter than me. I actually didn't feel too good in the beginning (of my innings). It was slow and difficult to time it.
"But like some of my previous knocks, one or two in the middle and you grow confidence from that."
This was not the first time that AB and Virat had such a savage partnership. Last year in their game against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede on 10 May, the killer duo added 215 runs for the second wicket and RCB won that match by 39 runs.
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