Virat Kohli plucks ball out of thin air, takes stunning one-handed catch

Virat Kohli may be struggling with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, but in terms of his fielding, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper remains at the of his game. Renowned as one of the best fielders in the world, Kohli plucked the ball out of thin air to dismiss Rishabh Pant on Saturday. 

As RCB squared off against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the match was at a crucial juncture when Virat brought his side back into the contest, as he helped dismiss the Delhi skipper. 

The incident took place in the 17th over of DC's inning, chasing a huge target of 190, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant was looking to accelerate his inning, having scored 34 off 17 deliveries, but just as he tried to direct the ball towards mid-wicket, an off-balance Pant could only deflect the ball towards Virat Kohli's direction. 

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The 33-year-old former RCB skipper stood just outside the 30-yard circle, and the ball struck by Pant appeared to be heading over Kohli, but he showed excellent athleticism to adjust his body shape, as he swung out an arm, and plucked the ball out of thin air. 

Kohli's one-handed brought an end to Pant's inning, swinging the momentum in his side's favour. 

Here's a video of Virat Kohli's stunning catch to dismiss Rishabh Pant:

single handed hawk
catch of the season @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/BMQTphzSrX — (@_klausxx) April 16, 2022

Talking about the match, RCB were asked to bat first, after Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to field. The Bengaluru-based franchise got off to a shaky start as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. 

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Having lost Anuj Rawat for a duck, Faf du Plessis was sent back to the dugout by Khaleel Ahmed while Virat Kohli perished after incredible fielding from Lalit Yadav. 

Glenn Maxwell then steadied the ship as he scored a fifty but shortly after the Aussie all-rounder was dismissed, DK took it upon himself to take his side over the line. RCB managed to score 189/5 in their 20 overs, but it proved to be a mountain too tall to climb for Delhi as they slumped to a 16 run defeat.