"Man of the match goes to Mr.Virat Kohli for planting more trees" - Fans troll star batter for scratchy 31 in CSK vs RCB IPL 2025 clash

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli endured a scratchy stay at the crease in the highly anticipated clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on March 28. The 36-year-old had an excellent start to his IPL 2025 campaign with a 36-ball 59* in RCB's opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

However, Kohli struggled to cope with the tacky Chennai wicket, scoring only 31 off 30 deliveries before being dismissed by the in-form Noor Ahmad. The champion batter was also hit on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from Matheesha Pathirana, thanks to a lack of rhythm throughout his stay.

However, the knock to the helmet seemingly woke Kohli up as he smashed a maximum and a boundary off the next two balls. Yet, the joy was short-lived as he was caught at deep mid-wicket off a mistimed slog sweep.

Kohli's strike rate was a big topic of discussion during the first half of IPL 2024. Fans on X ensured to take the opportunity to troll the star batter for his dismal batting display today.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Virat Kohli continued facing the wrath of the fans, saying:

"In this day n age of T20 you cannot have Kohli type of Player in power-play and expect to win an IPL title!"

"Biggest blunder by #csk by taking Virat kohli’s wicket. Blud was playing with 100 sr like always," tweeted a fan.

"Kohli 31 off 30 today.... Totally convinced he should be the 1st pick in the squad for the Eng series.....2nd test peak loading....," a fan said.

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RCB in pole position to break losing streak in Chennai despite Kohli's struggles

Virat Kohli's snail-paced knock had no impact on the rest of the RCB batting lineup as the visitors piled on a massive 196 for 7 in 20 overs. The Royal Challengers have never won an IPL game in Chennai since 2008, with eight consecutive defeats since.

However, RCB looked determined to end the losing streak with a sensational batting performance from the get-go. Skipper Rajat Patidar top-scored for them with a 32-ball 51, and other quickfire cameos at the end helped RCB post an above-par total.

The bowlers took over soon after, wrecking the CSK top order with three wickets inside the powerplay, reducing the hosts to 26/3 in the fifth over. The batting struggles continued for CSK as they found themselves reeling at 73/4 in 11 overs, requiring a further 124 off 54 balls.