IPL 2023: RCB legends Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers react to Virat Kohli's record-breaking 7th hundred

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IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) legends Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have reacted to Virat Kohli's record-breaking 7th IPL hundred which came against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

Kohli, who scored a hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, slammed a 60-ball hundred against GT to go past Gayle's record for most hundred in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Reacting to Kohli's record-breaking seventh IPL hundred, Gayle joked that he was coming out of retirement. He credited the 34-year-old former RCB captain for putting his team in a winning position.

"Never doubt Virat Kohli. Fantastic innings, well played, you know, he has put his team in a winning position," Gayle said during the mid-innings break on JioCinema.

"Virat and Faf batted really well, but it was all about Virat Kohli... Fantastic innings by Virat, he has passed the Universe Boss. I am coming back out of retirement and I will see you next year Virat," Gayle added.

De Villiers was also quick to acknowledge Kohli's special effort in a virtual knockout match for RCB. "Virat is there when we need him!" the legendary South Africa tweeted.

Kohli has now also entered the elite of players with most 600-plus runs in a season. He has now achieved the feat three times (2023, 2016 and 2013) and is tied with David Warner and Chris Gayle. KL Rahul has achieved the feat four times and leads the list.

Kohli is also only the third batter after Shikhar Dhawan (DC, 2022) and Jos Buttler (RR, 2022) to hit two back-to-back hundreds in the IPL.

Kohli's innings consisted of 13 fours and one six. The star batter played the anchor by helping RCB recover from 133/5 in 14.2 overs and staying unbeaten till the very end. His sixth-wicket partnership with young Anuj Rawat accounted for unbeaten 64 off 34 balls.

Kohli's contribution in the partnership was 40 off 19. A subdued celebration followed once he reached the three-figure mark even as his wife Anushka Sharma blew some flying kisses from the stands. GT captain Hardik Pandya also came and hugged Kohli.

RCB had the bigger goal in mind as a win at Chinnaswamy is a must for RCB to qualify for the IPL 2023 playoffs. In case they lose, Mumbai Indians (MI), who defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets earlier today, will qualify.