Virat Kohli spoke candidly about the challenges he faced as an opening batter in Bengaluru, after RCB broke their losing streak at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
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Kohli’s Brilliant 70 Guides RCB to Home Victory After Toss Frustrations
Royal Challengers Bengaluru gave their home fans something to cheer about after halting a three-match losing streak at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with a gripping 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. It was a thrilling encounter where both teams held the upper hand at various points, but RCB ultimately held their nerve to defend a 206-run target.
Virat Kohli was once again the star with the bat, scoring a brilliant 70 off 42 balls. However, in his post-match interview, he gave a cheeky yet revealing remark about the challenges RCB faces at home, hinting at both frustration and relief. When asked about the difficulties of batting in Bengaluru, Kohli humorously responded, “The first challenge is winning the toss (chuckles).”
He continued, “In the second half, there is always dew. We’ve struggled to put on a par score,” reflecting on their struggles at home despite their strong away form. Kohli’s remarks, delivered with humor, were grounded in the reality that RCB had lost the toss in all four of their home games this season. Their five wins in five away matches had only intensified the mystery surrounding their home slump, making the win all the more satisfying.
Kohli on batting unit
Thursday night brought a much-needed shift for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Asked to bat first once again, Virat Kohli led from the front with a fluent 70, setting the foundation alongside Devdutt Padikkal, who hammered 50 off just 27 balls. The pair stitched together a 95-run stand for the second wicket, giving RCB the platform they had sorely missed in earlier home matches. A late push took them to 205/5, a total that proved just enough.
“We’ve had three pretty average games at home, and we discussed a few things we need to get right as a batting unit, and we applied ourselves well to get the total on board,” Kohli said, reflecting on the team’s introspection after their home defeats. “The pitch wasn’t as flat as the score makes it look. Dew made the ball come on nicely in the second half, and credit to Rajasthan for coming out and playing some good shots.” At one stage, RR were cruising at 110/2, but it took a late burst of brilliance from Josh Hazlewood (4/33) to turn the tide. Hazlewood held his nerve at the death, including a remarkable penultimate over that swung the match decisively in RCB’s favour.
“Today we just tried to time the ball and keep enough pressure on the opposition to keep giving us boundary balls,” he added.