IPL 2018: It is the Right Time to Get a Win For RCB - Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) led by Virat Kohli kept their slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive with a five-wicket convincing victory against the Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 45^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

For yet another time, Delhi posted a commendable total on the board. However, they failed to defend the 181 and ended up losing their ninth match in the tournament. It was spectacular knock each from AB de Villiers and Kohli to seal the deal for Bangalore in the end.

Earlier, in the evening it was Kohli, who won the toss yet again and put Daredevils in. The Delhi openers headed back to the pavilion quite early. Prithvi Shaw, who has played pretty well in the tournament so far was dismissed after making just two runs.

The teenager Shaw was castled by the leggie, Yuzvendra Chahal. Jason Roy was also dismissed by the same bowler. Chahal was at his very best after quite a long.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant continued his utmost consistency in the tournament. The southpaw again smashed another half-century. He scored 61 of just 34 deliveries which were studded with five fours and four sixes.

Debutant Abhishek Sharma made his presence felt as he scored a sensational 46 of just 19 balls. Daredevils eventually made fighting total in their allotted 20 overs. Chahal was the pick of the Bangalore bowlers finishing with figures of two for 28 in four overs.

Chasing the relatively stiff target Bangalore were pegged with early wickets. Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali were dismissed quite early as Bangalore were reduced to 18 for two very early.

However, it was a brilliant partnership between the two giants of the contemporary cricket de Villiers and Kohli which brought Bangalore back into the game. It was almost sealed for them when Kohli departed at the RCB’s score of 136. By then he had made 70 of just 40 deliveries.

De Villiers was also at his imperious best and scored a brilliant 72. It was a sensational knock under the circumstances.

Couresty the victory, Bangalore still keep their hopes alive in Vivo IPL 11. If they can manage to win all their games there is still a possibility of their qualification.

Here is what Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation:

“The table is wide open. It is the right time to get a win for us. It was a great feeling playing in front of a big crowd. Surprising to see so much support for us in Delhi. Again not a clinical show with the ball. We should have restricted them to maximum 160, but they played really well,” Kohli said during a presentation.

Kohli also spilled beans over opting to chase against distinct teams at the fag end of the domestic professional Twenty20 league.

“At this stage of the tournament, maybe we will prefer bowling first because the batsmen can take more responsibility and chase down every total. We understand teams don’t want to let us win now. Ask the opposition team to get the runs and tell them we are coming after it. That’s what works for our team and it really motivates us,” Virat asserted.

Virat Kohli lauds his batting partner de Villiers for seeing the visitors home in style.

“I wasn’t happy with the way we finished with the ball, but AB told me in the innings break that we can do this and that is what helped me get into the zone and then I let my instincts take over. It’s an honour for me to bat with AB. We were looking to finish it with a few more overs to spare to help the net run rate, but the two points are very important,” Kohli  concluded.

Also read: IPL 2018: I Thought 181 Was More Than Enough, Says Shreyas Iyer