When Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) met at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, April 25, star batsman Virat Kohli was once again prepared to provide a masterclass.
Following his toss victory and decision to bat first, RCB captain Faf du Plessis put Kohli up against the SRH bowlers and got off to a strong start. The former captain of the RCB appeared to be preparing for a big one as he scored 32 runs off just 18 balls in the powerplay.
But against the spin combination of Shahbaz Ahmed and Mayank Markande of SRH, Kohli seemed to be stranded. Before being removed for a 43-ball 51 in the 15th over by Jaydev Unadkat, Kohli’s run scoring dried up as he could muster just 19 runs from his next 25 deliveries.
Legendary former India opener Sunil Gavaskar was scathing of Kohli’s failure to pick up pace and intensity in the middle overs.
“He just seemed to lose contact in the middle. Until he left, I believe he did not cross a border, though I am not positive of the precise numbers. Consequently, when you are facing a strike in the opening ball of the innings and you are out in the fourteenth or fifteenth over, with a strike rate of 118, it is not what your team is expecting of you, Sunil Gavaskar said to Star Sports.
That’s probably what Virat Kohli needs to do: Simon Katich
The little master’s assessment was not unique. Simon Katich, a former Australian cricketer, believed that Kohli’s dismissal cost the Bengaluru-based team a lot of money because they were hoping to build on a strong start and score more than 220 against the formidable SRH batting lineup.
Yes, without a doubt, he lost motivation. Rajat Patidar, in my opinion, performed brilliantly and was the one attempting to hit the fours and sixes. I think Virat Kohli was required to do it. The sub-120 strike rate versus the Sunrisers, in my opinion, most likely lost RCB 220+ runs. “206 on the board might not be enough against SRH,” Katich remarked.
Also read: Eoin Morgan thinks that RCB’s win shows other teams how to beat SRH and calls it “a wake-up call to how they take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad.”
RCB scored 206/7 off 206 balls thanks to a match-winning 20-ball fifty from Rajat Patidar. During the chase, the visiting team kept SRH 35 runs short of the mark. With 430 runs, Kohli leads the IPL 2024 run scorers list despite his inability to extend his innings in the last several games.
RCB has four points at the moment and is wallowing at the bottom of the standings. Bengaluru’s next match is scheduled for Sunday, April 28, when they travel to Ahmedabad to play the Gujarat Titans.
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