"Really intensified his batting" - Kevin Pietersen in awe of Virat Kohli's hitting in middle overs vs SRH

Kevin Pietersen was taken aback by Virat Kohli's pyrotechnics in the middle overs during the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) eight-wicket win over the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, May 18.

Chasing 187 for victory, Kohli played a destructive knock (100 off 63) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. He was at his vintage best and was even lauded by opposition fans for the kind of shots he played.

However, what surprised Pietersen the most was Kohli's intent in the period between seven to 15 overs. The former RCB skipper has often come under criticism for dropping gears during the middle overs in the shortest format. But he was on a different level altogether on Thursday, accumulating 47 runs off 29 deliveries during the period.

"The point of difference today was in the middle overs," Pietersen said on Star Sports after the match. "In the middle overs, his intensity went up and he did not think about knocking it around. He actually took on the boundary riders and he hit some big sixes. He really, really intensified his batting."

"He was hitting the spinners. He was like ‘listen I am coming for you. You get this wrong, I will come for you. Half get this wrong and I am still coming for you’. Some of the best deliveries that were bowled this evening were flying," he added.

Kohli was eventually dismissed after he registered his sixth IPL hundred, equaling his former teammate Chris Gayle for the most centuries in the tournament's history.

Kohli and Faf du Plessis shared a 172-run stand in 17.5 overs to set the platform for the run chase. Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell saw RCB through with four balls to spare and eight wickets in hand.

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"It never sounded like that of our bat" - Kevin Pietersen on Virat Kohli's shot through extra cover

Virat Kohli played some jaw-dropping shots during his 63-ball 100-run knock, which featured 12 fours and four sixes. However, it was the boundary past the extra cover region that grabbed the eyeballs of fans and former cricketers alike.

It was full delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kohli leaned onto it and presented the full face of the bat, creaming the ball over the cover fielder.

Kevin Pietersen was also in awe of that shot, saying:

"That shot through extra cover off the seamer, the noise of the bat.. It never sounded like that of our bat," said Pietersen.

Kohli has been in sublime form in this year's IPL. He has now amassed 538 runs from 13 matches at an average of 44.82, with one hundred and six half-centuries along the way.