Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Devdutt Padikkal has lauded legend Virat Kohli's innings against KKR on Wednesday in Raipur, where he knocked off a match-winning century to guide RCB to a six-wicket win. Kohli, who headed into the match after registering two ducks in his previous two knocks, bounced back in a scintillating fashion, crashing his ninth IPL hundred.
"It was incredible to watch. I think I had the best seat in the house. Some of the shots he played were simply remarkable," Padikkal said at the press conference.
"Obviously, coming into this game after two ducks is never easy, and he showed why he is who he is. To not have that on his mind and to just go out there and bat the way he does was something incredible. Really happy to see him get those runs."
Padikkal forged a 92-run stand with Virat Kohli to anchor the innings as they both put the pressure back on KKR bowlers. Speaking on his partnership and approach, Padikkal, who scored 39 off 27 deliveries, said that they were only looking to take the side to a comfortable position.
"I don't think we really went into the specifics of anchoring. It was more about making sure we took the game to a certain stage where we felt the rest of our batting line-up would be in a comfortable position. I think, over the last couple of games, we've been in situations where we lost a couple of wickets early and never stitched partnerships together. I think it was important today that once I went in, both of us spoke about elongating that partnership for as long as possible and then taking it from there," he said.
Padikkal praised Kohli’s temperament and ability to bounce back strongly after enduring two consecutive ducks earlier in the tournament. He also highlighted Kohli’s unmatched consistency over the years, saying that the former RCB captain always comes back stronger.
"Honestly, it doesn't really change anything. You've played so much cricket in your career. Everyone who is out here comes to perform. No one is going to score in every single game. That's part of the game, and he understands that better than anybody else. He always bounces back and always gets runs, and he showed why he is the best in the business," he added.