One of the most exciting things to look forward to when Mumbai Indians took on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL on Sunday was the face-off between one of the best batsmen in the world and one of the fiercest bowlers. Jofra Archer vs Virat Kohli was a showdown that excited everyone.
However, despite Archer's credentials, the fact is when Kohli is on song very few bowlers on the planet can stand their ground. And the English pacer learnt it the hard way.
After MI were able to put up a fighting total of 171 on the board, courtesy of Tilak Varma's fiery innings of 84 not out off 46 balls, RCB chased it down comfortably with Virat Kohli (82* off 49) and Faf du Plessis (73 off 43) taking centre stage.
MORE: How to watch IPL 2023 season online and on TV | Full list of players, teams for IPL 2023
How many sixes did Virat Kohli hit against Jofra Archer?
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, MI fans were banking heavily on Archer to do the talking with the new ball. Moreover, as the England international was returning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after a brief absence of three years since he last featured in 2020 for Rajasthan Royals, the excitement was palpable.
Surprisingly, Rohit Sharma, skipper of MI, held him back until the fourth over. The script could have been different in the very first ball though. Archer charged in and induced an uppish drive from Kohli. However, Archer could not hold on to a sharp catch on his follow through.
Next ball, the Indian star gave a riposte with a deft touch, gently opening the face of the bat and guiding the ball to the boundary. Archer, cranking up his pace, responded well with two dot balls.
But on the fifth delivery, Kohli danced down the track and smashed Archer over long off for a maximum to show him who's the boss at the Chinnaswamy.
At the end of two overs, the fast bowler had been hit for 18 with Kohli scoring 16 of those. Sharma was forced to take him off. However, as RCB smoothly waded towards the target, Archer had to be brought on in the 11th over. Once again, Kohli was on strike.
This time, the 34-year-old batsman tries to rotate the strike and in the fifth ball of the over he completes his 45th IPL half-century off 38 balls with a single.
But the next ball Kohli faced from Archer was dispatched brutally into the stands. It was once again a slower, short-of-length ball, aimed at the ribs but Kohli got behind the line and pulled it over deep fine leg. That was probably the shot of the match!
It was not to say Archer did not trouble Kohli. He did trouble Kohli with a sharp bouncer that made the batsman smell leather. But overall, it was not his day. It could be said that Archer is still not at his very best, following his long injury-enforced break from the game from which he returned only recently.
To summarise, Kohli faced scored 28 off 17 of Archer at a strike rate of 165 that included two fours and two sixes.
MORE: Latest betting odds for IPL 2023
When is Virat Kohli and RCB playing next?
After a scintillating knock in the campaign opener, Virat Kohli would hope that he continues his rich vein of form in the rest of the tournament with RCB set to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) next at the Eden Gardens on April 6.
