Padikkal: 'Kohli showed why he is who he is'

There were moments during Virat Kohli 's century in Raipur when even the man batting alongside him at the other end appeared to slip into spectator mode.

"It was incredible to watch," Devdutt Padikkal said after Royal Challengers Bengaluru comfortably chased down 193 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to go top of the IPL 2026 points table. "I think I had the best seat in the house. Some of the shots he played were simply remarkable."

Kohli came into the game on the back of two consecutive ducks - something he had only gone through once previously in the IPL. But right from the outset against KKR, there was intent to dominate the bowlers. Having watched Kohli train hard on match eve. Padikkal revealed there was little sign of baggage when Kohli walked out to bat - even if Kohli himself admitted to feeling a "bit nervous".

"Obviously, coming into this game after two ducks is never easy,. he showed why he is who he is," Padikkal said. "To not have that on his mind. to just go out there and bat the way he does was something incredible. Really happy to see him get those runs."

For Padikkal, the calmness and calculation of the chase stood out as much as the runs Kohli scored. He gave no indication of being under pressure at any point during their chase.

"I don't think we really went into the specifics of anchoring," Padikkal explained of their approach during the 92-run second-wicket partnership off just 59 balls. When Padikkal was dismissed for 39 off 27 deliveries. RCB were well on their way at 129 for 2 in 13.1 overs.

"It was more about making sure we took the game to a certain stage where we felt the rest of our batting line-up would be in a comfortable position. Over the last couple of games, we've been in situations where we lost a couple of wickets early,. never stitched partnerships together. I think it was important today that once I went in, both of us spoke about elongating that partnership for as long as possible. then taking it from there."

Asked to elaborate on Kohli's mindset coming into the game, Padikkal underlined the mantra his first IPL captain stuck by.

"Honestly, it [the two ducks] doesn't really change anything," Padikkal said of Kohli's thought process. "You've played so much cricket in your career. Everyone who is out here comes to perform. No one is going to score in every single game. That's part of the game, and he understands that better than anybody else."

What they quickly assessed. while on the field, was this wasn't the same up-and-down surface like the one against Mumbai Indians where they scraped home off the last ball.

"It was a pretty good wicket, I thought," Padikkal said. "There was a little bit for the pacers initially with the new ball,. as soon as that swing died down, it was a pretty good wicket to bat on. I don't think we really discussed a target, but these days anything under 200 feels chaseable. That's how the game has evolved.

"When we went out there, we understood it was all about making sure we got one boundary an over. From there, you are in a pretty good position. When you have a batting lineup like we do, it's important that we make sure these chases are done comfortably. I think we managed to do that today, and it looked much easier than it probably was."

Padikkal has often been used as the Impact Sub. But RCB have often brought him in during their fielding innings - after their main bowler has been subbed out - just to get him into match rhythm. Padikkal believes this has made a difference as against coming in cold just to bat.

"Definitely, fielding before batting helps. If you come straight into a game to bat, it probably takes a bit of time to understand the pace of the game, the pace of the pitch,. the angles," he said. "But when you are on the field early, it gives you an idea of the areas you can target, where the batters are looking to hit,. the general pace of the game.

"You don't want to come in cold when you are batting. So I think it definitely helps, and hopefully I can field a lot more. It gets pretty mundane just sitting and watching at times. I enjoy fielding as much as possible."