The animated celebration by Virat Kohli, including a shush towards the Gujarat dressing room, captured his competitive spirit during a tense match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Following a frustrating performance in his previous outings, Kohli’s intensity peaked when Gujarat’s No.9, Amit Desai, was run out amid fielding errors. Kohli’s reactions resounded at the Centre of Excellence, culminating in Delhi’s narrow seven-run victory over Gujarat, marking their second consecutive win.
He rightfully won the Man of the Match award with a prize of Rs 10,000. This was significant for Delhi, especially since Kohli batted early again, as IPL player Priyansh Arya got out quickly. Gujarat was ready for Kohli, who had demonstrated his intent in the previous match against Andhra.
Virat Kohli demonstrated aggressive batting against seamers Arsan Nagwaswalla and Chintan Gaja, quickly adjusting to conditions with 6 boundaries and a six off his first 16 deliveries. Transitioning from a compact style, he has embraced a more aggressive approach since the South Africa series, capitalizing on power play restrictions with notable lofted shots over mid-on.
In a match where Gaja occasionally challenged him with sharp in-dippers, Kohli displayed a solid defense and maintained control, leading to a steady flow of runs. Unlike his previous performance against Andhra, he looked confident, showcasing lofted drives and impactful wrist flicks. Kohli scored his fifty in just 29 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and a six, while his teammates, Arpit Rana and Nitish Rana, struggled at the other end.
Delhi’s innings reached 254/9, thanks to Rishabh Pant’s calculated approach, scoring 61 runs off 70 balls, including eight boundaries and two sixes, after Virat Kohli was stumped by Vishal Jayswal. Despite the bowlers’ efforts, including a pace attack that struggled with dropped catches, Delhi broke through Gujarat’s batting in the middle overs. After conceding 121 runs for 2 wickets, timely strikes by Navdeep Saini and Ishant Sharma reduced Gujarat to 145/5. A recovery by Saurav Chauhan and Jayswal brought Gujarat back into contention before Delhi, aided by a catch from Kohli, ultimately secured the win.