IPL 2022: [Watch] 2nd time unlucky for Trent Boult as Virat Kohli sends him back with a stunning reflex catch

A stunning quick-reflex catch by Virat Kohli against Rajasthan Royals at the MCA Stadium on Tuesday was a sample-size evidence of the major improvements in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) performance in IPL 2022.

In the seventeenth over, with RR struggling at 110-6 after being asked to bat, pacer Harshal Patel got RR tailender Trent Boult to pull a good-length ball towards mid-wicket. Kohli was placed inside the circle for exactly something like that and it was going quick and low to his left. The 33-year-old put in a well-timed dive and grabbed it perfectly under his head, almost as if in slow motion.

Here's a video of the same:

He had dropped Boult at almost the same fielding position only eight balls before the dismissal. The ball came slower but went a bit too wide for him. A full-stretched leap got his fingertips to it but wasn't enough. It was one of the reasons why there was a beaming smile on his face after completing the catch off Harshal's bowling.

It once again showed his importance in the in-field and his never-ending hunger to contribute. It was also an example of a team working with fine-tuned strategies under a tactically superb captain. And finally, it showed the team's ability to bounce back from unlucky moments with more force - something which was missing till now.

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RR only reach 144 after Virat Kohli's brilliance

RR looked half the IPL team that has been riding high this season when their highest scorer so far, Jos Buttler, got out for 8(9). All middle-order batters got starts but none could convert and take responsibility to anchor the innings, leaving the team at 121-8 after 18.4 overs.

But young all-rounder Riyan Parag picked the perfect moment to show some form, hitting a brilliant 56 (31) to elevate the total to a respectable 144-8. RR have the bowling to defend it on the sticky pitch but RCB will fancy their chances more.

All eyes will be on Kohli when he comes to bat at the top of the order for the first time this season.