BENGALURU: Virat Kohli has led the top-scoring charts for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last four seasons in succession. But, he was just a mere shadow of himself in the first three matches of the IPL this year with 14, 1 and 3 under his belt. He did not look his usual self, which was a cause of concern considering the skipper is their mainstay in the batting department.
There was a serious need for Kohli to get his A-game going when they faced Rajasthan Royals. Chasing 155 to win, he walked into bat in the third over of the contest and early on, he did not mind playing a few dot balls as well.
It was evident that the player wanted to spend more time in the middle and get back to form. He backed his ability to change gears later on and did not take massive risks too. He was also helped with Devdutt Padikkal going strong at the other end.
As he faced more balls, his confidence grew and started playing shots all around the park. It was in the 13th over, where one could say, yes, he has got his touchback.
After slapping Riyan Parag for a four, he brought out his inside-out over extra cover shot for a wonderful six. From there on, it was the Kohli of the past IPLs, where bowlers were on the receiving end.
If he scored his first 29 in 29 balls, the next 24 balls fetched him 43 runs. His 53-ball 72 comprised seven fours and two sixes, helping his team win by eight wickets. Head coach Simon Katich feels this innings will kickstart his IPL 2020.
“We do not look at him being out of form at all. He missed out a couple of times that can happen in T20. What also helped him was he got us over the line in that Super Over (against Mumbai Indians)… What we have seen him from training to training is that he is super professional. He looks like he was timing the ball magnificently. He works so hard at his game that it was just a matter of time before he got runs in the middle. It was great to see control that chase, and hopefully, that will kickstart the rest of his IPL,” said head coach Simon Katich at the post-conference.
More importantly, Kohli coming to form is a great sign for the franchise, who have won three matches so far. The story has also been a bit different this season when it comes to the batting department. Bangalore are not completely dependent on just Kohli and AB de Villiers, which holds them in a good stead.
Padikkal has been the star performer, with three half-centuries. Aaron Finch and De Villiers have also been amongst the runs. It would not be wrong to say that all of them have contributed to their team’s success so far, something which has not happened in the past. So, the team knows someone or the other will always stand to be counted when needed, allowing all the players to play pressure-free cricket.
Also, the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Navdeep Saini have starred with the ball, and if Bangalore addresses their death bowling concerns, Bangalore could well be the team to beat from here on in the tournament.