'Ab India ke liye thodi khelna hain' - Virat Kohli's fun banter with Manish Pandey caught by stump mic during RCB vs KKR

Virat Kohli had a banter-filled moment with Manish Pandey on the field during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur on Wednesday, May 13.

Kohli and Pandey have been close friends from a very young age, making it very common for the two to share a light-hearted moment on the cricket field. While the 37-year-old was batting, he practised a ramp shot, stating how international retirement from the T20 format has freed him up and that he can now play every shot in the book. 

“Ab to India ke liye thodi na khelna h, ab to har shot lagega,” (“Now that I don’t have to play for India, I will play every kind of shot), the stump mics caught Virat Kohli saying to Manish Pandey.

The funny on-field moment involving Virat Kohli can be seen below:

Kohli went on to score 105 not out off just 60 balls, an innings comprising 11 fours and three sixes to score at a strike-rate of 175. This was the right-handed batter’s ninth century in his illustrious IPL career and first since the 2024 season. 

The former Indian captain put his recent bad form aside by scoring an excellent unbeaten hundred to help RCB secure a six-wicket victory over KKR. The win virtually guarantees the defending champions a place in the IPL playoffs. They are at the top of the standings with 16 points from 12 matches. Kohli, on the other hand, was bound to get a big score following two consecutive ducks in the IPL. This included a golden duck against the Mumbai Indians at the same venue as his century.

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Despite his recent poor scores, Kohli has had yet another fruitful season in the IPL, scoring 484 runs at a strike-rate of 165.75, whilst averaging 53.77. He is the third-highest run-getter in this tournament and is on course to challenge for the Orange Cap.