Two masterful centuries were scored during Royal Challengers Bangalore‘s crucial match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. While Virat Kohli’s sixth IPL century made headlines during the second innings, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen deemed Heinrich Heinrich Klaasen century to be the superior innings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were in trouble after losing two wickets in rapid succession during the powerplay. The host team was in a perilous position, but Heinrich Klaasen continued his fine form in the tournament by scoring a century off just 49 deliveries to save the day.
However, his century was futile, as former RCB captain Virat Kohli also scored a century in the second inning to put his team on the verge of victory. Although the RCB batsman garnered widespread acclaim for his record-setting sixth century, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen believed Heinrich Klaasen century was superior because he was playing for a ‘dysfunctional team’ with little support.
Allow me to express an unpopular opinion. Heinrich’s ton was superior to the other. Heinrich Klaasen at-bat was the superior one.
Imagine being a member of a team that has been eliminated and has little support. Playing for a team that is so dysfunctional is fantastic. Heinrich Klaasen performance today was phenomenal,” Kevin Pietersen said on Star Sports.
The fact that the South African wicketkeeper-batsman reached his century in double-quick time and played some incredible shots, particularly against the spinners, shows that he was more ruthless in his approach. Few foreign players are equipped to face spin bowlers on Indian pitches, so his ability to play spin bowling has attracted the attention of the experts.
However, Kohli’s century was scored under intense duress, as it was a must-win game for the Bangalore-based franchise, and his innings at the top of the order was crucial to RCB’s victory. The former Indian great now has six centuries in the annals of the competition, tied for the most with Chris Gayle.