Sam Billings shared one of his IPL moments when he faced Virat Kohli in the middle. It was an intense match between two arch-rivals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings (RCB vs CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
An important batsman in the match was the English keeper-batsman, who was representing CSK at that time. As soon as Billings lost his wicket, Kohli’s face was full of emotion. He shouted right in front of the batsmen.
Former CSK keeper Sam Billings has shared an anecdote related to Virat Kohli.
Years after the match, Sam Billings still remembers the moment Virat Kohli took a huge loop to scream in his face. During a recent interaction, the Kent batsman revealed how it felt to face the Indian cricket star.
Sam Billings recalled, “Virat gave me some farewells. Passion. Yes, I myself was bowled by York at Campbell, run behind the wicket, Yuji Chahal, sticks everywhere. And Virat, I remember going that way, and Virat was at mid-wicket, I think.”
“It took a major attack to scream in my face!” ???
When Sam Billings faced Virat Kohli. pic.twitter.com/16zZlf0h6v
– Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) 19 March 2026
Billings shares breathtaking moments against Virat
“And he hit a big blow, just screamed in my face. And I said, “Why are you wasting your time with me? But, no, I mean, there’s something special about all the great players we’ve played against, and you don’t know, you can’t put your finger on it. An aura, he’s got an aura,” he said further to explain the phenomenon.
There was a high scoring match between RCB and CSK on 25 April 2018. On its home ground, RCB under the captaincy of Virat Kohli had scored 205 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. South Africa’s two experienced players, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers, scored half-centuries to take the total to over 200, which on paper was very challenging to chase.
MS Dhoni finished the match in brilliant style
Chennai Super Kings was ready for a tough fight for 24th Match of the season. The then CSK captain Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni were in the lead role during the run chase. On several occasions during his career, ‘Captain Cool’ finished business in style. Rayudu was out after scoring 82 runs on 53 balls; Umesh Yadav was out due to run out. But Dhoni remained at the crease to achieve the important victory.
After facing 34 balls, he remained unbeaten on 70 with the help of one four and seven sixes. A late cameo from Dwayne Bravo (14* off 7 balls) also proved crucial in deciding the match. CSK won the match by 5 wickets and 2 balls remaining.
Sam Billings was part of the playing combination of CSK. Despite his reputation for hitting big shots, he was out cheaply, scoring only 9 runs. Spin magician Yuzvendra Chahal took an important wicket with the help of keeper Quinton de Kock.
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