CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli was all praise for Harshal Patel's match-winning bowling performance here on Friday, terming him their designated death bowler in this edition of the IPL.
Harshal's 5 for 27 was the reason RCB were able to restrict MI to 159 for nine in the IPL opener, which is something that even losing captain Rohit Shama admitted.
"We brought Harshal in a trade from Delhi. He is relishing the responsibility and is clear with his plans. He was the difference today. He is going to be our death bowler. As a captain you want players with clarity, and he has that," Kohli said at the post-match press conference.
About AB de Villiers' 48 off 27 balls, Kohli said that the South African still intimidates the opposition.
"The opposition gets nervous about AB. We have depth in the batting which we want to utilize. AB is probably the only one in the team who is so versatile. And he does it on slow wickets what not many can do."