WATCH: Mohammed Shami wins hearts with special gesture towards Virat Kohli | Cricket

Virat Kohli on Saturday regained his lost mojo as the former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper notched up a half-century against Gujarat Titans at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The 33-year-old Kohli was enduring a torrid season with a mere 128 runs in nine matches. The star batter’s promotion to the opening slot in the previous game after scoring back-to-back ducks too did not yield results as he perished on just 9. (Follow IPL 2022 Coverage)

But Kohli was back among the runs as he hit 58 off 53 against the Titans. His redemption was laced with six fours and a six. He got off the mark with consecutive fours and went on to score his first 50-plus score in 15 innings.

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With his maiden fifty of the ongoing IPL edition, Kohli has laid to rest the ghost of all his shoddy performances that had become major talking points in the cricket fraternity. The spotlight was on Kohli to convert the fifty into a big score but he departed in 17th over when Mohammed Shami cleaned him up with a yorker.

As Kohli was making his way back to the dugout, Shami put his arm around the batter’s shoulder to appreciate his knock. He returned 4/39 in his four overs but grabbed the prized scalp of Kohli. Shami has been the best bowler for the Titans with 14 wickets so far.

Apart from Kohli, Rajat Patidar scored a brisk 52 off 32 balls while Glenn Maxwell chipped in with a quick-fire 18-ball 33, helping Bangalore post a competitive 170/6 in 20 overs.

Kohli last year had stood up for Shami when the pacer suffered vile abuse after India’s 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Kohli hit back at the trolls of Shami by underlining his contribution to the team’s success over the years.

“There’s a good reason why we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media that have no courage to actually speak to any individual in person,” Kohli had said in a press conference.

“They hide behind their identities and go after people through social media, making fun of people and that has become a social entertainment in today’s world, which is so unfortunate and so sad to see.

“This is literally the lowest level of human potential that one can operate at and that’s how I look at these people.”