Who said what - Top 3 expert comments on Virat Kohli's 2nd century in IPL 2023

For the 16th straight year, the IPL ended with heartbreak for Virat Kohli as the Royal Challangers Bangalore (RCB) failed to qualify for the playoffs after a loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their final group encounter.

It was a thrilling match that went down to the wire, but the RCB bowling attack yet again failed to defend a big total in Bengaluru, as has often been the case in the past.

Batting first on a wicket that offered a little bit of swing to the pacers and hold to the spinners due to the thunderstorms earlier in the day, RCB posted a par total of 197, powered by a magnificent century by Virat Kohli (101* off 61 balls).

As wickets kept tumbling around him, 'King Kohli' anchored the innings and scored at a fine pace against the high-quality GT attack, consisting of the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rashid Kham, Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad.

It was a second consecutive century for Virat Kohli, who struck 13 fours and one six in a knock that came at an impressive strike-rate of 165.57. However, his remarkable efforts were undone by an unbeaten century from Shubman Gill and a half-century by Vijay Shankar, whose efforts resulted in a last-over win for the visitors.

While everyone felt for Virat Kohli, who has given more than his best for the franchise over the years, his spectacular form throughout the season has been a great positive for Indian cricket, especially with the World Test Championship Final and the ICC World Cup scheduled to be held this year.

The former Indian captain's recent form has earned tons of praise from several ex-cricketers and experts from around the globe, with many feeling that he is back to his best.

On that note, let us take a look at three expert comments on Virat Kohli's second century in IPL 2023.

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#1. "This century more special than the one against SRH" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar, who is often in the news for his opinions and expert analysis on cricketing events around the world, has heaped praise on Kohli for his marvelous innings.

He stated that Kohli's century against GT was more special than the one in RCB's previous outing against SRH due to the better quality of the Titans attack, the higher stakes of the game and the fact that he was the lone ranger for his side.

"This century from Kohli is more special than the previous one because the bowling attack of Gujarat Titans was far superior to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli also batted almost single-handedly in a pressure match and took his team to a respectable total," Sanjay Manjrekar said.

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#2. "I am coming back out of retirement and I will see you next year Virat" - Chris Gayle

'The Universe Boss' lauded Virat Kohli as his former teammate's seventh ton broke his record for the most centuries in IPL history. Chris Gayle congratulated his dear friend in his quintessential humorous manner, stating that he will come out of retirement next year to reclaim his record from Kohli.

Speaking to Jio Cinema in the mid-innings break, Gayle said:

"Never doubt Virat Kohli. Fantastic innings, well played, you know, he has put his team in a winning position. Virat and Faf batted really well, but it was all about Virat Kohli... Fantastic innings by Virat, he has passed the Universe Boss. I am coming back out of retirement and I will see you next year Virat."

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#3. "Today’s innings was extraordinary" - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar has always been one of the biggest admirers of Virat Kohli. The Indian batting legend hailed Kohli's innings that came amidst wickets falling around him. He added that he felt that a score of close to 200 was a winning one in his views. However, his prophecy turned out to be incorrect as GT won the game in the final over of the match.

Speaking to Star Sports in the mid-innings break, Gavaskar stated:

"Today’s innings was extraordinary. The wickets were falling around him but he kept going at the same momentum which was required. And to have a scored close to 200 is a winning score in my view. They had to bat out of their skins to get to this score. Any team that scores over 185-190 usually goes on to win the game."

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With that, we complete our piece on the top three expert comments on Virat Kohli's second century in IPL 2023. Can you think of any other such expert comments on Kohli's century? Let us know in the comments section below.

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