Bengaluru, May 22 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Virat Kohli suffered a bit of a niggle in his knee during their match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday.
Kohli hurt his knee while taking a catch to dismiss Vijay Shankar (53) in the 15th over of the Titans’ innings. Then, he did not take the field and was spotted sitting in the dugout.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Bangar provided an update on Kohli’s injury and highlighted his continuous presence on the field throughout the previous match, as well as the game against Gujarat Titans, acknowledging that the body is bound to experience discomfort after such prolonged periods of intense cricket.
“Yeah, he had a bit of a niggle in his knee. But I don’t think there is anything serious. Having scored two back-to-back hundreds within a gap of four days is a special achievement. He is somebody who not only wants to contribute with the bat but even when he is fielding. He did a lot of running around,” Bangar said in a post-match presser.
Kohli’s injury has raised many eyebrows as he is one of the key players of the World Test Championship final against Australia, scheduled from June 7-11 in London.
“Forty overs a couple of days ago and today, for 35 overs he was on the field, he was giving his best. So it is going to bother at some point, but I don’t think it’s anything serious,” he added.
In the match, Kohli had roared again with a second consecutive ton (61-ball 101) to power RCB to 197/5 but a dazzling unbeaten century from Shubman Gill (104 off 52) overshadowed Kohli’s efforts as the Titans pocketed a 6-wicket win, knocking RCB out of IPL 2023.
–IANS
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