Kagiso Rabada knew what the dismissal meant as he removed Virat Kohli on Thursday in Ahmedabad. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener took on the Gujarat Titans bowler in the second over of the first innings, clobbering him for 21 runs. But in the fourth over, Rabada had the last laugh, dismissing Kohli and then giving him a deadly stare as he made his way back to the pavilion.
In the first ball of the second over, Kohli pulled the South African over midwicket for a four, and then launched him over wide mid-off for another. He made it a hat-trick of boundaries in the third ball, receiving a short length delivery, outside off, Kohli carved it to the deep point ropes. In the fourth delivery, Kohli smacked him past the fielder at short third man for another four.
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Then Rabada pitched it up, outside off, Kohli responded with ease, sending him through the covers for his fifth consecutive four. The over ended with a single.
In the next over, Kohli also hammered Mohammed Siraj for a six, launching him over long-on. In the second delivery of the fourth over, Rabada sent a short and quick ball, around middle and leg. Kohli misjudged it due to the pace and bounce as he advanced down the wicket. He lost his shape and ended up top-edging it to Rashid Khan at mid-wicket for a catch. Kohli departed for 28 off 13 balls, packed with five fours and a maximum.
In jubilation, Rabada celebrated with his teammates and gave Kohli an angry stare as the veteran made his way back to the pavilion.
Watch – Kagiso Rabada’s send-off for Virat Kohli
The battle between Kohli and Rabada has long been one of the most action-packed duels in cricket, mixing skill, intensity and personal rivalry. Whenever Rabada has dismissed Kohli, the pacer has celebrated it in style.
Although Kohli has managed to score at a healthy rate against Rabada, it has been a risky approach. He has been dismissed by the pacer multiple times across formats, often forced into poor decisions or surprised by a lack of or extra pace. Rabada is smart, and he also attacks the stumps, which makes him key in the powerplay.
The battle also showed that Kohli can dominate a bowler, but Rabada has the ability to strike back after being hit, almost like pressing a reset battle in the middle of a spell.