Kohli, De Villiers keep RCB hopes alive
NEWDELHI: Virat Kohli may not be enjoying a great season as Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, but he showed steely determination to ensure his side trooped out winners at the Ferozeshah Kotla, his home ground on Saturday.
The India skipper struck his 34th IPL half-century (70 off 40 balls) while AB de Villiers clobbered unbeaten 72 off 37 balls to carry RCB to a five-wicket win in 19 overs after Daredevils put up a challenging 181/4 in the clash between the bottom-placed teams.
Kohli was full of wristy flicks and full-blooded shots and raised a century partnership with AB de Villiers. Their 118-run stand came off only 64 deliveries and ended when leg-spinner Amit Mishra had Kohli caught behind by Rishabh Pant. Though the match was
virtually of academic interest as neither team looks in any shape to get to the playoffs, with RCB having only an outside chance, all focus was on how their key batsmen would tee off. And the packed crowd at Kotla was given its fill.
Pant, 20, followed his unbeaten 128 in the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday with another gem. He smashed a 34-ball 61 (5x4, 4x6) and raised 93 runs in 62 balls with Daredev-
ils skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made a subdued 32.
Though they didn’t carry on till the end, 17-year-old lefthander Abhishek Sharma played a sensational knock (46 — 19b, 3x4, 4x6) on his IPL debut, batting with freedom to ensure Daredevils put up a challenging total.
As RCB began their reply, Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, another 17-year-old
making his IPL debut, scalped his first victim in Parthiv Patel.
Kiwi pacer Trent Boult had removed Moeen Ali (1) at the other end, but Kohli and De Villiers took charge.
Throughout the season, RCB have suffered due to their shaky opening pair and constant changes have not helped. It has repeatedly fallen to Kohli and De Villiers to revive the team, and that was again the case.