IPL 2023: “Want to put my head down and continue to work hard” – Virat Kohli

After becoming the first batter to score 7000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL), veteran Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli downplayed the feat, saying that it is just another milestone. He also added that he wants to put his head down and continue to work hard as well.

However, he scored 55 off 46 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, May 6. He has now 7043 runs in 233 IPL matches which came at an average of 36.68 and a strike rate of 129.49 as well. Moreover, he has hit five centuries and 47 fifties in the T20 league as well.

While talking about 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 certainly special for Virat Kohli as his family, as well as his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, was present at the stadium as well. A clip of him touching his coach’s feet before the match went viral too as well. Sharing his emotions over his “homecoming”, Kohli 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.”

IPL 2023: Virat Kohli played a quickfire knock

Notably, Virat Kohli hit five fours in his innings before being dismissed by Mukesh Kumar. Apart from Kohli, Mahipal Lomror also hit a half-century for RCB, smashing an unbeaten 54 off only 29 balls. Lomror’s aggressive knock comprised six fours and three sixes and he lifted his team to 181/4 as well.

Praising the left-hander, Kohli said: “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.”

But both Virat Kohli and Lomror’s efforts went in vain as Philip Salt smashed 87 in 45 balls to guide DC to a seven-wicket win as well.