'Now I've got a company at the top' - Chris Gayle welcomes Virat Kohli to elite club after RCB opener's match-winning knock against SRH

Chris Gayle & Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

The 65th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday (May 18) saw masterstrokes from both teams. Heinrich Klaasen slammed his maiden IPL ton to take SRH to a highly competitive total, but his lone fight was overshadowed by Virat Kohli's match-winning century, which helped RCB win by eight wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The former RCB captain has had a slightly inconsistent run so far in the tournament and was criticized for his slow innings, but delivered a ton in a must-win game, making Klaasen's 49-ball hundred absolutely pointless. A win against SRH was crucial for RCB to stay alive in the tournament. The visitors were given a scare by Klaasen's remarkable knock, but Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis stitched the highest partnership of the season to move them closer to the knockout stage.

Welcome young man and welcome to the club: Chris Gayle

It was Kohli's first IPL 100 since 2019 and with this milestone, the batting stalwart matched former RCB legend Chris Gayle's record for most IPL centuries (6). While the entire cricket fraternity heaped praise on the former Indian captain, the West Indies big-hitter also congratulated his former teammate for his remarkable feat.

"Welcome young man and welcome to the highest century makers club. I was bored. I was lonely and bored. I was like 'I need some company at the top'. Now I have got it and we can have a talk now, Virat." Gayle said on JioCinema.

Kohli began the 187-run chase with an aggressive mindset and maintained that momentum throughout, smashing four maximums and 12 fours off 63 balls. The entire RCB dugout and the Hyderabad crowd applauded the 'King' as the 34-year-old reached the landmark with a six over deep midwicket.

Asked about his not-so-good record against SRH, Kohli said in the post-match presentation: "I never look at past numbers. I put myself under so much stress already. I don't give myself enough credit sometimes despite playing impact knocks. (So) I don't care what anyone says on the outside. Because that is their opinion."