Former England captain has 'unpopular thought', rates Heinrich Klaasen's century higher than Virat Kohli's

Heinrich Klaasen & Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

Two players did wonders in one match when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Thursday, May 18. Heinrich Klaasen's maiden IPL century took his side to a highly competitive total, but it was overshadowed by Virat Kohli's match-winning sixth IPL ton, which helped RCB cross the finish line with four balls to spare.

It was only the third occasion in the history of the league that two players crossed triple digits in the same match and the first time that a player from both teams did it. The first time two hundreds were struck in the same match was in 2016 when Kohli and AB de Villiers each hit a ton for RCB against Gujarat Lions. With the milestone, the RCB opener matched the record set by former RCB great Chris Gayle for the most IPL centuries.

A win against SRH was crucial for the Bangalore-based franchise to stay in the hunt for the playoffs race. Klaasen's stunning knock gave the visitors a scare, but Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis stitched a record partnership to take them closer to the knockouts. The former RCB skipper was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his match-winning display in a must-win game.

Klaasen played for a team which is so dysfunctional: Kevin Pietersen

However, former England captain Kevin Pietersen shared an "unpopular thought" by rating Klaasen's innings higher than Kohli's. "The way that Klaasen played today was phenomenal," the 42-year-old said on Star Sports.

"Let me say an unpopular thought. Heinrich's was the better ton of the two. Klaasen's innings was the better one. Imagine being part of a team that is already out, with little support. Playing for a team which is so dysfunctional...it's brilliant," Pietersen added.

Klaasen made it look easy as he batted brilliantly against spinners in the middle overs, smashing six sixes and eight fours during his 51-ball 104-run knock. On the other hand, Kohli's innings was all class and mass, with four maximums and 12 fours off 63 balls.