Royal Challengers Bangaluru have registered their first win of the season in their first home game of the season and, overall, their second game of the tournament.
The star of the match was Virat Kohli, who scored a brilliant 77, which included 11 boundaries and two sixes, to help his side clinch their first victory of the season. Virat Kohli was away from international cricket on account of paternity leave for two months.
There were chats that Virat Kohli was not going to be considered for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup due to the slow nature of the pitches in the West Indies.
In the post-match presentation, Virat spoke about the same. Kohli said, “”[To the crowd] Don’t get overexcited; it’s just two games. I know what this orange cap means. [Love story with the crowd] It’s been going on for years. People talk a lot about playing the sport. At the end of the day, you don’t talk about the achievements, stats, or numbers, but the memories. It’s what Rahul Dravid says. The friendship, love, appreciation, and backing have been amazing and are what you’ll miss and never forget.”
Virat Kohli further went on to say that he still has the ability to perform in the T-20 format of the game.
Kohli said, “In T20, I’m opening, and I try to give the team a blazing start. But when wickets start falling, you have to understand the conditions as well. The wicket wasn’t as placid as normal here. It was a bit two-paced. I had to play the correct cricket shots; I couldn’t hit balls across the line. I tried a few and felt like I needed big hits at the other end, which didn’t happen as Maxi and Anuj got out quickly. I was disappointed not to have finished it off. It was a slot ball that I sliced straight to a deep point. Not bad though, playing after two months and getting into the tournament.”
Virat Kohli further added, “I had to; bowlers know I play the cover drive pretty well. So they won’t allow me to hit gaps. Guys like KG and Arshdeep, if they are hitting length, you have to create momentum; once you’re closer to the ball, you negate the bounce. You have to come up with a game plan and try to keep improving. I know my name is often used to just promote the T20 game across the world when it comes to T20 cricket these days, but I still got it, I guess.”
The World Cup squad for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup will be picked based on performance in the IPL.. So this IPL becomes more crucial for Virat Kohli, the batter, keeping the T-20 World Cup in mind.
Royal Challengers Bangaluru will now play against KKR on March 29 in Bangalore.
