Virat Kohli’s gesture for Sarfaraz Khan goes viral after CSK batter’s stupendous knock vs RCB – WATCH

by

New Delhi: Virat Kohli was spotted applauding Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Sarfaraz Khan after his blistering knock against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the clash between the two sides in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday, April 05. Sarfaraz smashed 50 off just 25 balls in a losing cause as CSK suffered a 43-run defeat against RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Sarfaraz stepped up under pressure for CSK after the visitors were left reeling at 3/30 inside the first three overs in the mammoth 251-run chase against RCB. He walked out to bat at no.4 and combined with young Kartik Sharma (6) to share a 47-run stand for the fourth wicket and bail his team out of trouble. Sarfaraz’s knock was laced with 8 fours and two sixes as he put on a show with his exquisite skills.

Kohli applauded the CSK batter when he was walking back to the dugout after his dismissal in the 7th over of his side’s innings. In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Kohli can be seen calling Sarfaraz and appreciating his knock by clapping for him. The RCB superstar’s gesture caught the attention of fans and won hearts.

Watch Virat Kohli applauds Sarfaraz Khan:

Sarfaraz Khan’s half-century not enough for CSK

Sarfaraz’s timely half-century helped CSK avoid a batting collapse and get their chase back on track. With the visitors staring at an early collapse at 3/30, Sarfaraz took control of the chase and played some fine strokes across all parts of the ground to race to his fifty and steady the ship for his team. However, he was dismissed by Krunal Pandya immediately after the Powerplay, getting stumped by Jitesh Sharma.

Nonetheless, his knock set up the platform for CSK to stage a fightback after their horror start. The likes of Prashant Veer (43 off 29) and Jamie Overton (37 off 16) played crucial knocks to try and keep CSK in the hunt, however, the mammoth 251-run target proved too much in the end. CSK were evntually bundled out for 207 runs in 19.4 overs to lose the game by 43 runs.