RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was highly impressed with Virat Kohli’s brilliant knock on a tricky batting surface to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first win of the season. Kohli punished Punjab Kings for dropping his early catch on 0 and went on to score 77 to be the standout between the two sides. The 35-year-old stamped his authority over PBKS bowlers in the powerplay and then started taking calculated risks after RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
His knock was laced with 11 fours and a couple of sixes in the 49 balls he faced at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. He became the victim of Harshal Patel on 77 in the attempt to play a big shot at third-man where Harpreet Brar grabbed his catch.
The momentum shifted a bit in Punjab’s way after Kohli‘s dismissal but Dinesh Karthik and Impact Player Mahipal Lomror finished the match in RCB’s favour.
Du Plessis said they were never out of the game despite Kohli’s departure with Karthik and Impact Player Lomror in the middle.
“Only on the outside, not as much on the inside. Gotta make sure you get over the line early in the tournament. Great to see the composure at the end. Don’t think game was gone after Kohli went, because of the Impact Player and Mahipal in. In previous years we used to feel 12 runs in the last overs would be tough but now even 15s seem gettable in the last two. Really pleased for DK getting his game going. It sets us up for the rest of the tournament,” Faf said after the match.
Meanwhile, the RCB skipper lauded Kohli’s match-winning knock and his passionate attitude on the field as he suggested that the break the star batter took in the last couple of months worked well in his favour. The 35-year-old missed the five-match Test series against England citing personal reasons.
“Even tonight the pitch was a bit different in the sense that it wasn’t a fast and bouncy pitch, and a flat pitch. Virat was important in the way he tempoed his innings. Wasn’t a pitch where you could hit through the line. Good to see him, he’s always smiling and enjoying himself. Still very passionate about playing cricket. Obviously had a nice break now which is very important. He’s still enjoying himself, very passionate about playing cricket. Fresh and motivated to do well,” he added.
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