Legendary Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on Virat Kohli after Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a 12-run win against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday. RCB got off to a poor start, losing Phil Salt in the first over as Trent Boult bowled a perfect inswinger.

However, Virat Kohli played with an aggressive approach as he brought his 57th IPL fifty off 29 balls. Kohli scored 67 runs off 42 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes. The veteran also smashed Jasprit Bumrah for a six on the first ball he faced against the gun pacer.

Gavaskar hailed Kohli for playing the lofted shots early on in his innings and making the most of the Powerplay overs. Thus, Kohli played a key role in helping RCB post a par score of 221 runs on the board.

“The big difference over the last season and a half has been his intent to play lofted shots much earlier. Earlier, those lofted shots would come later in the innings, but now he’s looking to take risks from ball one,” Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHotstar. 

“Bowlers who were prepared for his drives and flicks are now seeing the ball going over the infield for boundaries. That change in mindset has thrown the bowlers off,” Gavaskar added.

On the other hand, former MI captain Rohit Sharma could not turn his form, managing 17 runs off nine balls. Gavaskar urged the MI opener to be more selective in his shot-making.

“When he gets out in the power play, it hurts, whether it’s for Mumbai Indians, India. I believe his shot selection needs a bit of tempering,” Gavaskar said.

“You have to be aggressive and score as much as possible in the first six overs, but choosing the right risks is key,” Gavaskar added.

Chopra also shared his delight that Jasprit Bumrah bowled over 140 km/h in his maiden match after back injury.

“The first and foremost thing was seeing him come in steaming and bowling at his usual pace, over 140 km/h,” Gavaskar said.