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After becoming the first batter to reach the 7000-run mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli downplayed the achievement, describing it as just another milestone. He stated that he wants to put his head down and continue to work hard.
The “Delhi” boy scored 55 off 46 balls in the IPL 2023 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, May 6. Kohli now has 7043 runs in 233 IPL matches at an average of 36.68 and a strike rate of 129.49. He has hit five hundreds and 47 fifties in the T20 league.
Reflecting on the 7000-run milestone, Kohli said:
"7000 runs is just another milestone during the journey of what I'm trying to do for my team. It's a nice number when you try to do something for your team. I want to put my head down and continue to work hard."
The match on Saturday was special for Kohli as his family, as well as his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, was present at the stadium to watch him play. A clip of him touching Sharma's feet before the match went viral.
Sharing his emotions over his “homecoming”, the batter said:
"It's a special moment. My family is here, my coach is here, cricket is just a part of my life. I was honored with getting a pavilion named after me. I started my journey here and started playing for Delhi here. I never imagined all these things would come there and there's gratitude for all this.”
Kohli struck five fours in his innings before being dismissed by Mukesh Kumar.
“It was unbelievable” - Kohli hails Mahipal Lomror
Apart from Kohli, Mahipal Lomror also scored a half-century for RCB, smashing an unbeaten 54 off only 29 balls. Lomror’s aggressive knock featured six fours and three sixes and lifted his team to 181/4.
Praising the left-hander, Kohli commented:
"It was unbelievable and me and Faf thought that 160 would be a good score. Mahipal came and changed the game, shifted the momentum towards us. My job was to bat deep and get those late runs, but DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Mahi (Lomror) did a tremendous job as well.
"It gives the senior guys like me and Faf a lot of confidence at this stage of the tournament. It's a great sign for the team."
Lomror’s effort went in vain though as Philip Salt smashed 87 in 45 balls to guide DC to a seven-wicket win.
