Virat Kohli took cost of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after a spot of over 460 days, since giving up the captaincy of the aspect after IPL 2021. Kohli needed to step in for injured Faf du Plessis to steer the aspect in opposition to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali on Thursday.
It was a victorious return for Kohli as captain in IPL as RCB hammered PBKS by 24 runs to publish their third win of the league. Kohli starred with the bat as effectively, scoring 59 and placing on 137 for the opening wicket with common skipper Du Plessis – the very best stand for any wicket for RCB in Mohali.
However, Kohli did make a serious blunder within the discipline as RCB tried to defend 174 runs. PBKS wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma saved the house aspect within the hunt along with his large hitting in the direction of the top. Jitesh scored 41 off 27 balls with three sixes and a couple of fours. Harshal Patel had the prospect to finish Jitesh’s resistance and compelled him to sky the ball in the direction of long-on the place Kohli was standing. Kohli known as for the catch however dropped a simple alternative.
WATCH Virat Kohli drop the catch of Punjab Kings batter Jitesh Sharma…
pic.twitter.com/wchZtwQyvV
— Billu Pinki (@BilluPinkiSabu) April 20, 2023
But Mohammed Siraj got here to Kohli’s rescue within the very subsequent over, dismissing Harpreet Brar and Nathan Ellis within the 18th over of the match to nearly seal the sport for RCB. Harshal lastly had his revenge as he dismissed Jitesh within the nineteenth over, caught at level by Shahbaz Ahmed to finish the PBKS innings.
“This (win) does not make us an invincible team or the league position before today did not make us a bad team. The table cannot define your mood, when you have just played five or six games. Maintain our processes and stay in the moment. In the first half, the conditions changed drastically,” Kohli mentioned on the post-match presentation.
The stand-in RCB skipper mentioned that the workforce wanted to alter their technique mid-way by the innings because the ball began to get softer. “After overs 7-8, as soon as the ball was getting bashed into the square, the ball really started getting scuffed up. We changed our strategy then to bat deeper. Had we stayed in, we could have given a crack at 190-200. We felt 175 was a good score on this pitch. I told them that was more than enough. All we had to do was be confident and hold the ball in hand looking to get wickets. The way you win games in T20 cricket is by taking wickets,” Kohli revealed.
