Virat Kohli is one of the fittest cricketers India have ever seen and he established the fact yet again on Saturday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans when he inflicted a sensational run out to dismiss Shahrukh Khan as the visitors were crumbled for just 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Kohli followed it up with a flying-kiss gesture with went viral on social media.
It happened in the 13th over of Gujarat’s batting innings when Rahul Tewatia fended the length ball from Vijaykumar Vyshak as the ball rolled out of the pitch towards the off side. Shahrukh, by then, had already taken off for a risky single before Tewatia sent him back. But Kohli was just too quick to beat the GT batter as he raced towards the ball, picked it up and nailed a direct throw at the bowler’s end. Shahrukh was well short of the crease as GT lost their fifth wicket for only 87 runs.
Cameron Green, who stood diagonally opposite to Kohli, was mighty impressed with the attempt direct throw. The former RCB captain later made a flying-kiss gesture after the dismissal, although it is not known whether it was directed towards his wife Anushka Sharma, who was present at the stands, or was it a send-off for Shahrukh, which could meanwhile land him in trouble as it could be seen as a breach of IPL Code of Conduct.
Gujarat batters seemingly struggled in the Chinnaswamy track on Saturday, against the accurate RCB bowlers as they only laboured to a modest 147 all out. There were a few of good partnerships – 61 between David Miller and Shahrukh and 44 by Tewatia and Rashid Khan – but the visitors lacked that one big partnership that could have given them a firmer grip on the match, especially after being reduced to their lowest every powerplay score in IPL so far with the top order being undone by RCB fast bowlers, Mohammed Siraj (2/29) and Yash Dayal (2/21) who stuck to a wonderful length on a pitch that offered good carry and bounce.