Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as one of the finest chasers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, delivering a match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.<\/p>\n
Chasing a target of 206, Kohli led from the front with a brilliant 81 off 44 balls, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secure a five-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.<\/p>\n
However, Gujarat Titans had an early opportunity to change the course of the match when Kohli was dropped in the very first over. Washington Sundar failed to hold on to a straightforward catch at mid-wicket off Mohammed Siraj\u2019s bowling, giving the RCB batter a lifeline.<\/p>\n
Kohli made full use of the reprieve, smashing eight fours and four sixes in a dominant innings that put Gujarat Titans under pressure throughout the chase.<\/p>\n
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop sympathised with Sundar but stressed the need for improvement in his fielding standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I see that differently. We have all dropped catches. You don\u2019t pick and choose which ones you drop. But what I would ask Washy is that your level of fielding has got to go up. He\u2019s a young guy, athletic enough,\u201d Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo\u2019s \u2018TimeOut\u2019.<\/p>\n
He added that repeated lapses in fielding have been a concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor too long, I have been seeing missed opportunities with him. So I would ask him to put a little more work in that so he becomes an asset in the field in addition to all the other things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn also agreed, saying chances like Kohli\u2019s are crucial and must not be missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t drop Kohli. The guy who\u2019s going to be one of the best chasers in the world. That catch, actually, doesn\u2019t matter who it is; you just can\u2019t drop that,\u201d Steyn said.<\/p>\n
The dropped chance proved costly as Kohli anchored RCB\u2019s chase with ease, ensuring a comfortable win for the defending champions. (Agency)<\/p>\n\n
Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as one of the finest chasers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, delivering a match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Chasing a target of 206, Kohli led from the front with a brilliant 81 off 44 balls, helping Royal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[997,234,1223,1221,1214,233,998,1215,1222,240,1220,1219],"class_list":["post-12321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-breakingsportsnews","tag-cricketnews","tag-droppedcatch","tag-fieldingerror","tag-gujarattitans","tag-indiancricket","tag-ipl","tag-matchanalysis","tag-rcb","tag-sportsnews","tag-viratkohli","tag-washingtonsundar"],"yoast_head":"\n