Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], Apr 19 : If there is one opening pair in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which can send jitters to the opposition, it is, without any doubt, the combine of two greats of the modern era--Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle.
Both Kohli and Gayle were at their menacing best as they helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Lions by 21 runs to pick up their second victory in the ongoing tenth edition of the IPL.
The destructive pair put on a 122-run opening stand before helping their side reach 213 in the allotted 20 overs.
While the Caribbean batsman blazed his way to a 38-ball 77, Kohli brought up his second fifty in three matches this season.
In the process, the pair went on to put on their tenth 100-run partnership in the league, which is also an IPL record.
Gayle also became the first cricketer ever to reach 10,000 runs in the shortest format of the game. At the end of the match, the two shared a light-hearted moment where Kohli interviewed Gayle, the self proclaimed 'Universal boss'.
In the 86-second long video posted on the official Twitter handle of the IPL, Kohli started by asking Gayle how the latter feels while opening the innings with him, to which the Caribbean batsman replied: "It's a great great feeling to actually open with you.
It's an absolute pleasure. You are a legend and you have many more runs to score. So, it's actually a privilege to watch it from the other end and see you score fluently." Thereafter, the Indian skipper revealed out a few statistics saying, "Today (Tuesday) was our 10th hundred run partnership and today Chris Gayle got to 10,000 runs at an average of 40, strike rate of 150 and 16 hundreds.
So congratulations on that. It's a crazy stat and it's my pleasure to open with you as well." Adding to this, Gayle said, "It's fantastic to get to 10000 runs and share that moment with you.
We have had a lot of partnerships and it is really great. Also, to be able to play for a great franchise like the RCB is superb." Since I joined this franchise, things have gone great for me as well from a personal point of view, so I am very thankful for that.
You guys have been special and it is special to share the dressing room with you. We have a lot of talent, many youngsters and it is good fun. It has been an absolute pleasure." The duo ended the 'interview' by doing their signature step---which they have been doing on the pitch since Gayle joined the RCB ranks in 2011---and won hearts of their fans across social media.
Source: ANI
