IPL 2024: Ian Bishop apologizes for saying Virat Kohli took 'Just 39 balls' to complete fifty

Virat Kohli hit the joint slowest IPL hundred in 67 balls on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals.

Former West Indies pacer-turned-commentator Ian Bishop has apologized for his comment on Virat Kohli’s slowish half-century for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their recent loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing IPL 2024.

RCB clashed with RR in Jaipur in the 19th match of the tournament and Virat Kohli starred with the bat, scoring 113* in 72 balls as RCB posted 183/3 in 20 overs. But this total proved to be inadequate as Jos Buttler’s 100* and Sanju Samson’s 69 took RR to a 6-wicket win.

With this loss, RCB now has only one win in 5 IPL matches, while RR is at the top of the points table with 4 wins from 4 games.

‘I take an L on that one’- Ian Bishop says sorry for saying Virat Kohli took ‘just’ 39 balls for fifty

Virat Kohli had scored his fifty in 39 balls as other RCB batters struggled on the Jaipur pitch. Apart from him, Faf du Plessis made 44, while Glenn Maxwell (1), Saurav Chauhan (9), and Cameron Green (5) didn’t do much.

Kohli went on to register his 8th IPL hundred, which came in 67 balls. Kohli’s hundred was the joint-slowest in IPL history, equaling Manish Pandey’s (2009) knock in the IPL 2009.

Kohli’s attitude split social media users. While some critiqued the strike rate over that length of an innings, others emphasized the importance of the anchor’s job, considering the RCB top and higher middle orders’ collective failure this season.

On air, Ian Bishop had lauded Kohli for taking “just 39 balls” to bring up his fifty. The comment drew criticism on social media, as a user said that the remark disappointed him.

“I take an ‘L’ on that one,” responded Bishop, admitting to his fault. “I am very aware of what T20 batting entails, and my insertion of that word was inaccurate. My choice of words and language in keeping with the format of the game needs to be more accurate and it will be going forward,” Bishop wrote in his apology.

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