IPL 2024: Virat Kohli can't control his laughter at Shikhar Dhawan's duplicate, video goes viral

In a hilarious twist to the ongoing IPL 2024 season, Virat Kohli, the former captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), found himself confused during their match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday. As the game unfolded at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli, while strolling near the boundary ropes, spotted a fan in PBKS jersey which bore an uncanny resemblance to his India teammate, Shikhar Dhawan, the captain of Punjab.

The incident, occurring during the 18th over, provided comic relief amidst the intense on-field action. Kohli, known for his jovial nature, waved at the spectator, mistaking him for Dhawan. However, upon realizing the fan's true identity, Kohli couldn't contain his laughter, showcasing the lighter side of the sport.

The video of Kohli's reaction to Dhawan's doppelgänger went instantly viral on social media, and fans were left tickling their funny bones upon seeing the funnier side of a tensed contest between the two.

Watch the viral video here:

The match featured an intense battle, with RCB choosing to bowl first after winning the toss. Despite PBKS facing an early setback with opener Jonny Bairstow's dismissal, Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh stabilized the innings. Dhawan's composed 45 off 37 balls, supported by Prabhsimran's quick 25 off 17 deliveries, guided PBKS to a competitive total of 176/6 in 20 overs.

Sam Curran (23), Jitesh Sharma (27), and Shashank Singh (21*) also made valuable contributions to the visitors' innings. However, RCB's bowlers, especially Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell, kept a check on the opposition's scoring rate by taking key wickets.

Coming to the chase, RCB secured the victory by four wickets, courtesy of a brilliant knock by Virat who scored 77 off 49 balls to set the platform. Dinesh Karthik (18 off 10) and Mahipal Lomror (17 off 8), who came as an Impact Substitute, then provided the finishing touch, helping RCB secure their first win of the season.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Top 10 Memes from RCB vs PBKS, Match 6

We scored 10–15 runs less, in the first six overs I played a bit slow: Dhawan

Reflecting on PBKS' performance, Dhawan regretted missed chances in the match, citing a dropped catch of Virat Kohli and a slow start in batting. Despite acknowledging the pitch's difficulties, he felt they could have scored more. Dhawan praised Harpreet Brar's bowling and highlighted its importance, along with Brar's celebration, in Punjab culture.

“It was a good game, we brought the game back, and again we lost it. We scored 10–15 runs less, in the first six overs I played a bit slow. Those 10–15 runs cost us and the dropped catch as well. (Turning point) Virat scored 70-odd runs, and we dropped a catch of the class player, we paid the price. If we had taken that catch, the momentum would have come from the second ball. But we lost the momentum over there, and then we paid the price for that.

It looked good, but it wasn't a very true wicket, it was stopping, a bit of double bounce and turned as well. 70% coming good, 30% it was doing a bit. I am happy with my runs, but I thought I could have played a bit more fast in the first six overs, that's the only thing I felt. We lost wickets as well, we lost two wickets continuously and that put pressure on us,” Dhawan said at the post-match presentation.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Who is Harpreet Brar? — Everything You Need to Know About Punjab Kings' star spinner

“At the end, that's the total we thought on this wicket. The match went till the last over, at the end also we could have bowled a bit better. (On Harpreet Brar) He's bowling really well, especially bowling against left-handers, tremendous the way he soaked in the pressure and got us the breakthroughs. It's a very big thing in Punjab, the Kabaddi thing, the people really connect with that thigh-five, happy to see him do it,” Dhawan concluded.