"If I had to bowl at him, I will be worried" - When a Pakistan legend hailed Virat Kohli over his IPL 2016 heroics

Team India batter and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) superstar Virat Kohli had a sensational IPL 2016 edition. Leading the franchise, he clobbered a record 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03, with four hundreds and seven half-centuries. Despite his brilliance, RCB fell short of lifting the title, going down to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final.

Despite RCB failing to win the IPL title in 2016, Kohli won a lot of plaudits for his batting exploits. Speaking to India Today, Pakistan's fast bowling legend Wasim Akram praised the Indian star and claimed that even he would have been worried if he had to bowl at an in-form Kohli. Akram said:

"Belief, his ability and on top of that his technique. We haven't seen him play the reverse shot or the lap shot, he always plays proper cricketing shots with the full face of the bat. That's why he has been very consistent and as a bowler if I had to bowl at him, I will be worried."

Comparing him to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, the former Pakistan captain went on to add:

"It's like in ODI cricket when Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings, it was very difficult to bowl at him because Sachin as a batsman and Kohli as a batsman will hardly give you a chance to get them out.”

Kohli was dismissed for 54 off 35 balls in the IPL 2016 final played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He hit five fours and two sixes before being bowled by Barinder Sran. Set to chase a target of 208, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were held to 200-7. Kohli and Chris Gayle (76 off 38) added 114 for the first wicket in 10.3 overs. However, once the stand was broken, RCB lost their way.

---

Virat Kohli holds several impressive batting records in the IPL

The 976 runs that Kohli amassed in the 2016 edition of the IPL is a record for the most number of runs scored in a single edition of the T20 league. The 36-year-old also holds the record for having scored the most runs in the history of the tournament. In 253 matches, he has amassed 8,063 runs at an average of 38.95 and a strike rate of 132.16, with eight hundreds and 56 half-centuries.

Kohli's eight centuries is a record for the most number of tons in the IPL. Former England captain Jos Buttler has seven to his name and Gayle six. Further, the 36-year-old is second on the list of batters with most 50-plus scores in the IPL. Kohli has 64 50-plus scores to his name. The list is led by David Warner (66), who has notched up four hundreds and 62 fifties.