Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 10 (ANI): Following his side’s 60-run win against Punjab Kings (PBKS), in which he played a match-winning knock of 92 runs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli said that he was looking to take more risks with his batting and played slog-sweep frequently against spinners just like he used to do in the past. He also said that at this stage of his career, the quality of his game and batting matters more over his runs.
A fine half-century by Rilee Rossouw went in vain as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bowlers delivered a brilliant performance to bundle out Punjab Kings (PBKS) for just 181 runs and secure a 60-run win at Dharamsala on Thursday.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Virat said, “Still quality over quantity. More so at this stage of my career. Understanding your game over so many years allows you to practice but still stay switched on. And still aiming to improve aspects of your game that you want to get better on. I brought out the slog-sweep to the spinners. I know I can hit it as I have done it in the past. I know I need to take risks. It takes more conviction to remove the thought ‘What if I get out?’.”
“I am trying to keep up with the strike rate for me and the team. The only way to go through a tournament is to be honest with ourselves. We had those losses on the trot, we just had a honest conversation. We needed to pull up our socks. That game against KKR went down to the wire. We wanted to play for our self-respect. We just can’t go out there and play in such a way and disappoint our fans. The confidence is back and we are on a roll. We have to depend on several other factors (for playoffs qualification),” he added.
Coming to the game, PBKS opted to field first after winning the toss. After the dismissal of skipper Faf Du Plessis (9) and Will Jacks (12) early, Virat (92 in 47 balls, with seven fours and six sixes) and Rajat Patidar (55 in 23 balls, with three fours and six sixes) steadied the RCB’s ship with a 76-run stand, keeping the strike rate high. Then, a fine knock by Cameron Green (46 in 27 balls, with five fours and a six) and his 92-run stand with Virat powered RCB to 241/7 in their 20 overs.
Harshal Patel (3/38) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Vidwath Kaverappa (2/36) also did fine on his debut.
In the run-chase of 242 runs, Rilee Rossouw (61 in 27 balls, with nine fours and three sixes), Shashank Singh (37 in 19 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Jonny Bairstow (27 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and a six) looked dangerous, but lost their wickets on crucial stages.
The rest of the batters could not really put up a fight and lost the game by 60 runs as PBKS bundled out for 181 runs.
Mohammed Siraj was the top bowler for RCB with 3/43. Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson and Swapnil Singh also took two wickets. Virat got the Player of the Match award. (ANI)
