IPL 2021: The Mentor-Mentee Show of Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal Was Worth a Spectale

The mentor-mentee game was on fire as the opening duo of Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikal from RCB went on to create history, bag the game against Rajasthan Royals with a clean sweep of 10 wickets; add to that the youngster secured his maiden hundred.

A few incredible moments were captured when Padikkal simply swivelled his hips like a golfer and planted a delivery by the wily Mustafizur Rahman over the square leg fence. One: that six had taken Padikkal to 79, from just 35 balls–already the young man’s highest IPL score. Two: those runs by Padikkal brought up Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 100 before the 10th over of the chase; this all happened without RCB losing a wicket.

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Even more significantly, Kohli would have known that in 20-year-old Padikkal he had not only found a bedrock opener for RCB but a real prospect for India as well. That’s how much dapper Padikal’s maiden IPL hundred was.

WATCH | IPL 2021: Virat Kohli Dedicates Maiden Fifty of the Season to Daughter Vamika

For the entirety of the flawless chase, he made the game look like an exhibition match. And perhaps it was, for all of the Karnataka batsman’s shots deserved to be captured with acrylic colours on a wide canvas. Like, in the ninth over, where he twice struck Rahul Tewatia for majestic and consecutive sixes. The beauty of both was that they were completely grandeur. For the first, he used his feet and got to the part-timer’s ball, smothered the spin and simply lifted it over Tewatia’s head. At the head height, the ball pinged into a hoarding. Tewatia of course adjusted his line next ball, so Padikkal got down on one knee and helped the ball sail in slo-mo over the mid-wicket region.

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Even Kohli gleamed with joy. As he should’ve, given that in the first 105 runs for RCB, the captain had scored 23. Padikkal slowed down in the second half of the chase and Kohli quickly flicked up the gears to get to a season-best and unbeaten 72. He would’ve got more, but at the very end the focus was back to Padikkal’s hundred, which he got with a thumping cover drive off Rahman. Soon after, his side won with 20 balls to spare–truly a no-contest.

And that’s what we call a PERFECT 1️⃣0️⃣ performance

4️⃣ out of 4️⃣! #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 #RCBvRR #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/bZpnEVn6e8

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 22, 2021

The word “contest” is often used interchangeably for a match-up in sport. But on Thursday night, the Rajasthan Royals camp would’ve, at a very early stage in the game, felt that the game was all but snatched from their hands as in just the eighth over, captain Sanju Samson smashed a six and then gave an easy catch to Glenn Maxwell at midwicket on the next ball, had left his side in all kinds of deep waters, score-board- 43/4.

In the very next over, the ninth of the innings, Dube clattered Yuzvendra Chahal’s spin for two massive sixes. These were hits typically associated with all-rounders, both heaves directed towards the leg side. But Dube would use this inning as an opportunity to prove that he has touch-play too, albeit in a limited fashion. Anything floated wide or around off stump was guided to the third man, some of these strokes carrying all the way to the ropes.

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