Virat Kohli’s half-century helped Royal Challengers Bangalore stay alive in the play-off race as the side defeated table topped Gujarat Titans by eight runs on Thursday. The former RCB skipper was adjudged player of the match. Kohli, whose poor form caused a lot of concern this season, revealed that he practiced really hard in the nets before the important match. 

“It was an important game. I was disappointed that I haven’t done much for my team and that is what bothers me, not the stats. Today was a game where I was able to create an impact for the team. Puts us in a good position. There are expectations because of the performances that you have put in. You need to keep the perspective right. You can forget the process in order to live up to the expectations. I have worked really hard. I batted 90 minutes non-stop in the nets yesterday,” the 33-year-old said during the post-match presentation ceremony on Thursday. 

Opening with Faf du Plessis, Kohli hit eight boundaries and two sixes, including two consecutive fours off GT captain Hardik Pandya in the fourth over. He eventually finished with 73 runs off 54 balls. During his innings, Kohli reached the 7000-run mark for RCB.

By virtue of this win, Bangalore moved to fourth place in the standings with 16 points. The team will have to wait for the Delhi Capitals-Mumbai Indians game on Saturday to know their fate. A loss for Delhi would ensure them a play-off berth.

Ahead of Thursday’s match, Kohli had explained how he is coping with his lean patch in IPL 2022. 

Also read: Why IPL 2022 final will start at 8 PM and not 7:30 PM

“My experiences are sacred to me. Whatever I have experienced in this phase or in the past as well, one thing I can vouch for is that I have never valued myself more as a person. Because I’m experiencing now that there is a big sense of the identity that’s created by the world for you, which is far more different and so far away from the reality of you as a human being. So, what I’m experiencing now is that I am valuing myself and I care for my own well-being way more I would have in the past,” he had said.