Shubman Gill (left) and Virat Kohli during GT’s IPL 2026 match vs RCB.© X (formerly Twitter)
Virat Kohli was a live wire on the ground during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 match against Gujarat Titans on Thursday. He first showed his intent through batting, scoring a fiery 28 off 13 balls, and then made his presence felt on the ground with some terrific fielding. Kohli seemed his old self in the way he celebrated GT wickets on the field, especially the one of Shubman Gill. The Gujarat Titans captain got off to a flying start in the chase of 156, but missed out on his fifty after finding Kohli at cover.
Gill smashed 43 off 18 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes. His knock put RCB completely on the back foot. The batter was dismissed after he nailed a lofted drive into the hands of Kohli. The former RCB captain took the catch, gave a stare to the batter, and then banged the ball on the floor with a huge roar.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag said he enjoyed Kohli’s animated reaction, something that is very rarely seen on the ground. He added that every boundary of Gill ended up fuelling Kohli’s aggression.
“The more boundaries Shubman Gill was hitting, the more charged up Virat Kohli was getting on the ground. It was really fun to watch, seeing that even at this age, Virat Kohli is still showing so much energy,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Gill started with a four and a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar before going berserk against Josh Hazlewood in the next over. He welcomed the ace Australian pacer with two consecutive fours and then played a dot ball before unleashing two sixes and one four in the remaining three deliveries. Gill’s knock effectively took RCB out of the game.
“Shubman Gill is a class player. It was great to watch his batting. He scored around 43 runs off 18 balls. At one point it felt like he might even finish the game in the powerplay itself, the way he was batting so aggressively. But yes, a bit of luck was needed as well. If that catch had not gone straight into Virat Kohli’s hands and had gone a bit either side, it would have gone for a boundary,” said Sehwag.
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