'Drop him, he will make you pay': Gavaskar hails Virat Kohli as 'one of the greatest'
Virat Kohli's dropped catch in the first over proved costly for Gujarat Titans as he went on to score a match-winning 81. His stellar performance, coupled with Devdutt Padikkal's 55, powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a five-wicket victory. Krunal Pandya's late cameo sealed the chase, propelling RCB to second in the IPL 2026 standings.
NEW DELHI: Drop Virat Kohli at your own peril – that warning was effectively delivered to Gujarat Titans when they put down the star batter in the very first over of their IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Kohli was given a reprieve when Washington Sundar dropped him off Mohammed Siraj in the opening over of the RCB innings, and the missed chance proved costly. Kohli went on to smash 81 off 44 balls, powering RCB to a five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans.
Speaking on Star Sports, legendary Sunil Gavaskar analysed the key moment in RCB’s successful chase, pointing to the early drop of Kohli as the decisive turning point. "That dropped catch of Virat Kohli off Siraj's bowling definitely cost Gujarat Titans a lot," Gavaskar said. "We all know he is not just known as a king.
He is known as a chase master as well," Gavaskar remarked. "You drop him on the first ball, then he will definitely make you pay. That is exactly what he did," he said.
He further underlined Kohli’s reputation as one of the finest chasers in the game. "Chasing down huge totals with ease has been Virat's trademark batting style throughout his career," Gavaskar said. The former India captain also suggested that GT may regret the missed opportunity given the match conditions.