Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 25 (ANI): Veteran Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli was ecstatic after his side managed to break a three-match losing streak at the home venue of M Chinnaswamy Stadium with a win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), expressing relief at his team’s batting template of having one battter bat long and not forcing attacking shots finally paying off.
RCB’s three-match losing streak at Bengaluru finally broke, with Virat’s 70-run knock with the bat along with Devdutt Padikkal’s half-century powering RCB to 205/5, which the Red and Gold side bravely defended against a fighting RR unit, largely due to efforts of Josh Hazlewood (4/33) and Yash Dayal (1/33) in the final two overs.
Following the win, Virat said, “Pretty happy, we discussed a few things as a batting unit and applied ourselves well enough to get a total on the board. The first challenge here (at this venue) is to win toss and second half it becomes a bit of a advantage, we have been fighting hard to get a good score in the first few games, but the template today was for one guy to bat through and the rest of the batters can go attacking and today it really paid off.”
“There is pace and bounce in the first 3-4 overs, and I think we tried to force too many shots in the last 3 games, and today we let the ball come and adjusted ourselves, and we were able to capitalise on those. We figured out a way to bat now, and in the next few home games, we should be in a better position to get those extra 15-20 runs,” he added.
Virat also credited the Rajasthan batters for putting up a valiant performance while batting and termed the two points earned from the win as “crucial”.
Appreciating the love and support of the ‘Sea of Red’, the ever-supportive RCB fanbase at home, Virat said, “This venue is the best place to play cricket in the IPL, and the fans backed us during good and bad times. It is a special place and has a lot of special memories.”
Coming to the match, RR opted to bowl first after winning the toss. A 61-run stand between Phil Salt (26 in 23 balls, with four boundaries) and Virat kickstarted things off for RCB. Later, a 95-run stand followed between Virat, who made 70 in 42 balls, with eight fours and two sixes and Devdutt Padikkal (50 in 27 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes). Despite some quick wickets later, cameos from Tim David (23* in 15 balls, with two fours and a six) and Jitesh Sharma (20* in 10 balls, with four boundaries) powered RCB to 205/5 in 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma (2/45) was the top bowler for RR, while Jofra Archer also delivered an impressive four-over spell of 1/33.
During the run-chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal (49 in 19 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (16 in 10 balls, with two sixes) put on a quickfire 52-run stand, putting RCB under pressure early on. Later, Nitish Rana (28 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six), skipper Riyan Parag (22 in 10 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (47 in 34 balls, with three fours and three sixes) kept firing, with the equation down to 18 runs in final two overs with five wickets left. However, Krunal Pandya (2/31) removed Parag and Rana timely while Josh Hazlewood (4/33) and Yash Dayal (1/33) produced a clutch performance at the death phase, securing RCB an 11-run win.
RCB is at the third spot in the points table, with six wins and three losses, giving them 12 points. RR is in eighth spot with two wins and seven losses. They have suffered their fifth successive loss.
Hazlewood was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his breathtaking four-wicket haul. (ANI)
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