Royal Challengers Bangalore won a must-win contest, as skipper Virat Kohli guided his boys well. The hosts didn’t have easy walk in the park even after scoring 218/6. It was AB de Villiers’ day to shine with the bat.
The Proteas great scored 69 off 39 balls, and he was well supported by Moeen Ali, who made a handy 65 off 34 balls.
RCB found themselves in trouble at 38/2, but the duo solidly repaired the innings.
Basil Thampi was expensive, going for 70 runs in his quota of four overs. But his fellow team-mate, Rashid Khan didn’t let too much leak, as he conceded just 27 runs and bagged three wickets.
Kohli’s boys bag a vital tie
Captain Kohli knows the job isn’t done yet and they need to bag two more points to give themselves a fair chance of going to the playoffs.
He lauded AB and Colin’s quick-fire innings and complimented his bowlers for keeping it neat.
“Emotions are alright, seen many of these games before. Have to stay calm, after a point, you have to understand the bowlers are in control. To be fair to them, it wasn’t easy.
There was dew as well, hats off to them for keeping their composure. Now we head to Rajasthan with momentum on our side, the team’s feeling great. Tonight, AB, Moeen and Colin were outstanding.” he said after the 14-run victory at home.
Virat Kohli eyes Royals now
After a lot of switching and shuffling, Kohli feels RCB have got their balance finally.
“With the ball, there were difficulties, but they did well. Moeen’s come in and done a great job for us, hats off to him for grabbing opportunities with both hands. He’s given us the balance. We’re happy with the XI now; it’s settled. Team’s don’t want us to win, looking at the strength, they want us not to win.
We sense fear, and we pounce. AB’s catch was spiderman stuff; you don’t do that as normal human beings. His shots still leave me in awe, the fielding unbelievable. Grateful to the crowd, this is our last home game. They’ve been fabulous.” he added.