IPL 2023: We came up against Virat Kohli at his best – SRH head coach Brian Lara after loss against RCB

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Brian Lara wasn’t too disappointed with the performance of his team after their eight-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on Thursday.

Lara admitted his team ran into a masterclass knock from Virat Kohli, who scored 100 runs from 63 balls in the run-chase of 187 runs. Kohli looked in great touch from the get-go as he teed off with a boundary against Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the first ball of the innings.

The right-hander kept scoring his runs at a brisk strike rate of 158.73 as he scored a dozen fours and four maximums in his knock. The 34-year-old talisman batted at the top of his game and kept the aggressive approach intact throughout his innings.

Kohli added a gargantuan opening alliance of 172 runs with skipper Faf du Plessis, who scored 71 runs and it was RCB’s second-highest opening stand in the IPL. The West Indian legend showered praise on the batting duo of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, who got the job for RCB in a must-win encounter.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, Lara commented: “I am not overly disappointed with today’s [Thursday’s] performance. The guys played really good cricket and we came up against Virat Kohli at his best and Faf du Plessis, who has done a tremendous job for RCB throughout the season. He is the Orange Cap leader at the moment. So, we came up against two world-class players.

“To lose in the 20th over was a good effort from the boys.”

On the other hand, Lara heaped praise on Heinrich Klaasen for continuing his purple patch. The South African scored a majestic knock of 104 runs off just 51 balls against RCB. Klaasen has been in top form in IPL 2023 as he has scored 430 runs in 10 innings at an average of 53.75 and a blistering strike rate of 179.17.

“He played his heart out for the team for the entire season. He was rewarded tonight with a hundred. Obviously, we would love to be in a winning dressing room, but so be it. He showed his class once more. He showed his determination and his commitment to Sunrisers Hyderabad and we are so happy to have him.

The Orange Army will play their last league stage match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.