Kohli and Salt combine to give RCB the right flavour

In the backdrop of power hitting, sixes and a whole lot of strike rate dominated discussions, how about injecting some clarity and balance of thought?

- Somshuvra Laha

KOLKATA: Virat Kohli does that quietly, effortlessly and efficiently.

Finishing unbeaten in two out of three fifties so far, both in chased down victories, with margins so comfortable that the games felt mismatched, Kohli has never seemed so at ease with this format. Many reasons can be attributed to Royal Challengers Bengaluru's cruise mode in this IPL, one of them being Kohli not trying too hard.

It partly stems from the fact that he has retired from T20Is and hence isn't under pressure to set an early tempo for India. But it's also not as if he has totally forgotten that gear. There was that fifty in 29 balls against Mumbai Indians, where batting first, Kohli had hit three of the first nine balls he had faced for boundaries. Jasprit Bumrah was pulled over midwicket for a six, Will Jacks was schooled, and by the time he was dismissed Kohli had aggregated a strike rate of 159. Not earth shattering considering the deluge of boundary hitting we are witnessing this summer, but reassuringly Kohliesque.