Kohli heaps praise on de Villiers, Siraj's last over after nervy win
IPL 2021, DC vs RCB: Bangalore captain Virat Kohli also lauded AB de Villiers' unbeaten knock of 75 as his side edged out Delhi Capitals by one run on Tuesday.
Published : Apr 28, 2021 00:00 IST
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli lauded Mohammed Siraj's clinical final over as RCB pipped Delhi Capitals (DC) by one run in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
With 14 runs to defend against a well-set Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer, Siraj bowled three yorkers on the trot off the first three balls, giving away just two runs. He then kept his cool to deny Pant, who couldn't get the required 10 off the last two.
Speaking after the nervy win, Kohli said: "At one stage I did (feel it was getting away). But the way Siraj started the last over gave us confidence. He finished clinically in the end."
Kohli also added that his side could have put up a better performance on the field to complement AB de Villiers' match-winning knock of 75 (n.o.). "A lot of credit goes to (de Villiers), he hasn't played competitive cricket in five months but he keeps doing this. I still feel we could have done things differently. In the field a couple of lapses. Maxi (Maxwell), Rajat (Patidar) had some nice innings. 160-165 was par. It was a bit two-paced."
Batting first, RCB got off to a sluggish start as it lost openers Kohli (12) and Devdutt Padikkal (17) within the Powerplay. Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell rebuilt the innings before AB de Villiers launched a calculated attack on the Delhi bowlers.
Kohli's bowlers, however, got off to a top start as Kyle Jamieson and Siraj dealt early blows to Delhi by dismissing Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Steve Smith (4) respectively. Delhi soon found itself at 47 for 3 after Harshal Patel snapped Prithvi Shaw (21) before Pant and Hetmyer took charge of the chase.
The RCB skipper remarked on the depth of his bowlers and said: "If you look at our bowling line-up, Maxi's still not bowling, he's the 7th option. As a captain I can bowl guys at different stages, take the load off one another. We've always had batting but now bowling as well."
De Villiers on his part said that the key to success is keeping himself fresh. “Once you're in the tournament, it's about managing yourself and keeping fresh for every game. You can't go into the game feeling fatigued. I've done some work at home; we have treadmills in my room. I've done the work, and now it's about being as fresh as I can when I go out to bat,” he said. De Villiers cited a stunning flat six over mid-wicket, off a fast, short ball from fellow South African Kagiso Rabada, as his favourite hit.
Bangalore, which reclaimed the No. 1 spot with 10 points, faces Punjab Kings on Friday. The third-placed Capitals will face Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.