‘Green jersey hee panauti hai’ – Fans react as Virat Kohli registers golden duck against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023 clash

The action returned in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday with a doubleheader. The day’s first game saw Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Rajasthan Royals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the day’s second game, Kolkata Knight Riders would host Chennai Super Kings in the Eden Gardens of Kolkata.

The infamous Royal derby of IPL got underway, with Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson winning the toss and electing to bowl first. The home team were invited out to the middle to bat first, and they went off to a horrible start, losing skipper Virat Kohli in the very first ball. A ball kept straight by Trent Boult found a way through Kohli’s defence, who tried to play the very first delivery across. He was adjudged out lbw, and RCB were one-down within the very first over.

‘They informed me last time saying I might have to captain a couple of games’ –  Virat Kohli

Faf du Plessis, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), decided to sit out the second straight game. Therefore Virat Kohli took over as captain against Rajasthan Royals. Du Plessis elected to only bat for RCB in the most recent match against Punjab Kings due to a slight rib ailment, and it appears that the South African hasn’t fully healed. When asked about Du Plessis’ situation, Kohli admitted that the team’s management had told him he might have to serve as captain for a few contests.

“It was pretty easy to choose; we’d have batted first. This wicket looks dry, and it will get drier and might break up first. I didn’t say that to Sanju, but I’m very happy to bat first. We both get to do what we wanted. They informed me last time, saying I might have to captain a couple of games, nothing I’m not used to doing. So I’m happy to step in, ready to continue from whatever Faf has been doing.

“The team has responded well; we are playing with a lot of energy, and that showed in the last game. One change for us, Wayne Parnell is out, and he will be replaced by David Willey. Faf continues to play as an impact sub,” Kohli said at the time of the toss after RR skipper Sanju Samson opted to field first.

Here’s how fans reacted to Virat Kohli’s duck: