Kohli elated: Virat Kohli was delighted after the Royal Challengers Bangalore took a thrilling last-ball victory against Delhi Capitals in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2021. RCB finished the doubles season on Friday against leading DC.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Pulling off chase vs table-toppers gives you confidence ahead of playoffs, says Virat Kohli after RCB beat DC
- A last-ball six by Bharat gave RCB seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals
- RCB will take on KKR in the Eliminator on October 11 in Sharjah
After Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli recorded a victory at Sevenwicket over leading Delhi Capitals, he said a chase will give his team a different kind of confidence for the 2021 IPL playoffs.
One last KS Bharat’s six-ball helped the Bangalore Royal Challengers to a Sevenwicket victory against Delhi Capitals in a thrilling finale to their game in the Indian Premier League.
Kohli noted that RCB had nothing to lose and despite early losses on Friday, his team managed to complete the season double through the DC tabletop.
Bharat played a 78-run winning stroke, while Glenn Maxwell ran to 51 in 33 deliveries as RCB chased the 165-run goal in Dubai.
“Unbelievable. It was a game we had nothing to lose but still to lose early wickets and do well against a team at the top of the table is good,” Virat Kohli, the winning captain, said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“We’ve beaten them twice this season. We knew bowlers had the potential to keep things under control. The way AB and KS first batted was good.
Kohli praised Bharat and Maxwell, who forged a lucrative 111-race, four-wicket partnership to give RCB a rather unexpected win over Delhi Capitals.
Who, despite losing their last game, finished the top the league standings.
“And then the partnership between Maxi and KS was amazing. We knew the reality of getting second was a 163-run win, so we chose to field first. Pulling off a chase gives you a different kind of confidence going into a playoff.
“And we haven’t chased much in the tournament, so it’s also important to do well batting second. You should be able to pull out anything you need on the day of the game. No. 3 hasn’t been an issue at all,” Kohli added.
“We wanted to give Christian some time with the bat. He batted very well in the nets, but that’s how T20 cricket goes. We took that chance. It didn’t come off, but we had no issues.
“Bharat has given some good knocks and we knew he can step in at No. 3, bat well against spin too. I definitely think we need to be sharper in the field. We need to take the 50-50 opportunities in our way.
“Those runs are crucial in big games. When it comes to the playoffs, no team will give you a second chance,” Kohli signed off.
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