IPL 2023: Following his side’s 23-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli said he was disappointed at getting out to a full toss and was aiming for 30-35 quick runs in next 10 balls after reaching his half-century. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
Manish Pandey’s counter-attacking knock of 50 (38) was insufficient as Delhi Capitals lost the match by 23 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s debutant Vijaykumar Vyshak stole the limelight with a three-wicket haul and ended the game with the figure of 3/20.
“I was quite disappointed that I got out to a full toss. I have been playing really well. I wanted to make sure that after fifty, I was targetting 30-35 runs off the next 10 balls. That’s how I play. That would have helped us get past 200. One thing I mentioned to the guys in the change room that 175 was enough on this pitch. It slowed down considerably when the spinners came on. Even the balls to hit off the back foot off Kuldeep were holding up, unlike the other games we played. We did well to get to that score and had the belief it was enough,” said Kohli in a post-match presentation.
“When I have played my best cricket, those are the balls I’ve put away consistently (length balls on the up). That helps me to put pressure on the bowlers. When I put away their best balls, they are going to try to do something else. I back myself to hit good balls and the best bowlers in the opposition. That is how I motivate myself to play out there. Very happy to get two points. We kind of let it slip away last two games. For us to bounce back like this was very crucial. That was a different mentality and phase altogether (T20 World Cup 2016 semis). I was in a space where I felt I could hit any ball. I back myself to hit good shots. When they come off they look good,” added the batter.
With this win, RCB has climbed to the seventh spot in the points table with two wins and two losses in four games. They have a total of four points. On the other hand, DC’s terrible IPL season continues as they have lost all of their five matches and are at the bottom of the points table.
Third 5⃣0⃣ in a row this season at the Chinnaswamy stadium!
Virat in RED hot form 🥵#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2023 #RCBvDC pic.twitter.com/dydEDhpSBG
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 15, 2023
After being put to bat first by DC, RCB posted a competitive score of 174/6 in their 20 overs. Skipper Faf (22) and Virat gave a solid start to RCB, stitching a first-wicket stand of 42 runs. Virat continued his good form, bringing up his third fifty of IPL 2023 in four games. He was dismissed for 50 off 34 balls with six fours and a six after stitching a 47-run stand with Mahipal Lomror (26).
Following this, RCB started to lose wickets regularly. But contributions from Glenn Maxwell (24), Shahbaz Ahmed (20*) and Anuj Rawat (15*) pushed RCB to a solid score. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for DC, taking 2/23 in his four overs. Mitchell Marsh also took 2/18 in his two overs. Lalit Yadav and Axar took one wicket each.
In chase of 175, DC never looked like a threat. Despite knocks from Manish Pandey (50 off 38 balls with five fours and a six) and Axar Patel (21 off 14 balls) knocks, the visitors were always under pressure. They were reduced to 98/7 at one point. Knock from Anrich Nortje (23*) helped DC cut some deficit but the visitors fell short by 23 runs.
Vijaykumar Vyshak was the star for RCB on his IPL debut, taking 3/20 in his four overs. Mohammed Siraj also took 2/23 in his four overs. Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Wayne Parnell took a wicket each. Virat won the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning fifty. Virat is in the third position in the race to the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs in IPL 2023. So far, he has scored 214 runs in four matches at an average of 71.33 and a strike rate of 147.58. He has three half-centuries in the tournament so far, with the best score of 82*.
Brief Scores: Delhi Capital (Manish Pandey 50(38), Axar Patel 21(14) and Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/20) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore 174/6 (Virat Kohli 50(34), Mahipal Lomror 26(18) and Kuldeep Yadav 2/23) vs Delhi Capitals.
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