Bollywood star Anushka Sharma is set to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival but before that she took a detour to Bengaluru to support husband Virat Kohli in the last league match of the IPL 2023 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was a ‘must-win’ match for RCB and former captain Kohli did everything in his to try and lift his side to a win, scoring a record seventh hundred in the Indian Premier League.
Anushka was there in the stands at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru cheering on Kohli in the rain-delayed clash on Sunday night. After Kohli completed his century, Anushka was caught on camera blowing kisses to her husband to celebrate his second successive ton in IPL 2023.
WATCH Anushka Sharma blowing kisses to Virat Kohli after his century against GT HERE…
___________ _
Back to Back Hundreds for Virat Kohli in #TATAIPL 2023 ____
Take a bow _ #RCBvGT | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/p1WVOiGhbO
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 21, 2023
Kohli ended up with 101 off 61 balls with 13 fours and 1 six to power RCB to 197 for 5 after they were sent into bat by GT skipper Hardik Panyda. However, they were trumped by an equally brilliant century by GT opener Shubman Gill, who smashed 104 off 52 balls with eight sixes and five fours to lift his side to a 10th win in 14 games on Sunday.
“We wanted the momentum going, and wanted to finish on a high. As a bowler, Gill doesn’t give you a chance. Other batters also get confidence from it. We would have taken 197 at the start. We should have bowled good balls,” Hardik Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
GT and Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also praised a ‘special innings’ from Kohli. “It was a special innings from Virat as well. I can’t ask for anything better. Last year, everything went our way. This year, we were expecting people to challenge us. A lot of credit goes to all the boys,” Hardik added.
Kohli ended his campaign in the IPL 2023 with 639 runs in 14 matches with 2 hundreds and six fifties at an average of 53.25 and a strike-rate of 139.82. He now holds the record of scoring the most centuries in the history of IPL with his seventh ton, surpassing former RCB teammate Chris Gayle who had six to his name.
