There’s something about Virat Kohli against a yellow jersey team, 2016 – against Australia on a long ground in Mohali and now 2020 – against Chennai Super Kings on a similar boundary in Dubai. Time and time again, Kohli proves that T20 is a format that needs power, precision and brains at the same time.
Since the inception of the T20 format, much praise has been on the power hitting prowess demonstrated by some of the West Indies players and the quick witty creativity displayed by the western cricketers, be it AB de Villiers or Jos Buttler. . So much so that it has become the benchmark for T20 inputs, a lot of creativity and also many limits between them. Between creativity and boundary-setting shots, the basics of cricket have gone for a walk: running between the gates.
Royal Challengers Bangalore had their starter Aaron Finch’s middle post knocked off the ground with an impressive in-swinger from Deepak Chahar. At the other extreme was 20-year-old Devdutt Padikkal in his first Red and Gold campaign. Enter, Virat Kohli, on a tricky Dubai course that was equally two-paced and challenging. Ahead of him was Chennai Super Kings, his nemesis since the start of the IPL in 2008. RCB has always endured a difficult time against their multi-state rivals CSK, but the right wing has always stood out against them.
Against the men in yellow, Kohli has scored 761 runs, averaging 36.24 and a relatively low strike rate of 123.94, bordering on the 120 strike rate that KL Rahul was heavily controlled. From the first ball, there was the pressure of a Kookaburra swaying. Immediately, the right-hander launched his first delivery to hurry between the portholes. The focus was set, it was what most teams would expect from Kohli, the hitter, fast-paced action with the fielders under immense pressure. For CSK, they were smelling another wicket, which would make life much easier for them on a track where they would have to chase the target later.
His last four innings against Dhoni’s men were 18 (15), 8 (11), 6 (12) and 9 (8), in which he came out trying to speed up against them. In this entry, he took a different approach, one that had set him apart from all other cue ball bowlers, one with which he excelled against Australia at Mohali, a field that has relatively larger boundaries than the other stadiums in the country. . The approach of snatching out of place singles and doubles that were important to his fitness levels.
Four 3-ball races, ensuring there is no room for point balls during the most difficult phase for the side. In hindsight, he knew his trusted hitting partner, AB de Villiers, was ready to go. Against spinners too, Kohli had no other focus than to run the singles and doubles, the limits suddenly looking very different and difficult, bringing RCB to a total of 65 after the first ten. Now, the question arose, when did the two established hitters, Padikkal and Kohli, start taking risks, as they had to up the ante? In such an attempt, both Villiers’ starter and AB achieved two cross deliveries from Shardul Thakur.
CSK advantage, the men in yellow know how to curb that batting order later in the innings. The pressure returned to RCB’s main man Kohli, who was hitting alongside Washington Sundar. Left-handed Washington hit the ball too far from the pavilion, scaring some of his stars, but Kohli was unfazed at the non-forward end. He had a calm demeanor and approach, deceiving a monk. He was in 30 races of 26 deliveries, at the end of the 13th. One gentle touch and he later achieved his 6000th career in an RCB jersey, but that was just a milestone, the real work was yet to come.
When Sam Curran entered the attack, the 31-year-old ‘mockingly’ butted one over the keeper, who traveled by a six. He was totally satisfied, but at the same time, he was breathing a sigh of relief. If it had come out then, it would have been … CSK’s advantage. At the other extreme, though, the southpaw came undone with an appetizing wide delivery. Then he came on the leg turn at 16, Shivam Dube could only get one limit out of the over. Kohli was still hitting, 44 of 35, but the aggression was yet to come.
He finished the last installment of Thakur, turned, and sent the short delivery to the boundary wire. RCB were still at 117 at the end of 17, Kohli at 53 against 39. And then that came, resembling James Faulkner in more ways than one, a left-arm closer, a crucial stage in game terms and a Kohli set. Shivam Dube unleashed the first delivery over the ropes, and an enthusiastic RCB captain greeted him happily. I knew it was coming, the pressure was on the CSK bowlers, they needed to get them under the bomb. Then came the mind games, the Delhi hitter knew Curran was going to aim off the stump as he made his way through the stump.
Apparently, Curran’s delivery sat very well for the right-hander to swing straight, nice and attractive for a six. Before this, he constantly put the fielder under pressure with quick singles, unorthodox doubles, sometimes even putting up the best opposition fielders, Ravindra Jadeja and Faf du Plessis. To top it off, Curran scored another six to get 24 runs from his over, putting the pressure directly on Thakur, who had picked up two wickets earlier in the innings. Boom, a six-minute walk later, RCB was flying high, forcing the closer to throw a no-ball, where they landed a quick double. Just one risky shot in the over and they got 14 in the over.
With Dwayne Bravo, CSK’s plan was to make sure they would get the ball out of Kohli’s orthodox goal and force him to hit the ball offside. It was then that experience combined with his precision and brains came to the fore as he scored a brilliant limit, through a ball shot that resembles his teammate AB de Villiers. You could see it from his face, he was enjoying his innings, as were all the RCB fans, who tuned in in unison to witness one of the best shots of this season, one that is mixed with intelligence and some sheer awareness of the game. . Despite not scoring another cap in the finish, Kohli ensured that RCB had 14 runs and more importantly 169 runs beating his rivals in terms of being on top of the game.
“I think it is very important to respect the conditions you are playing in instead of coming to the field and thinking that I am going to hit everyone on the second level of the stadium. That is the experience. Having played both cricket and T20 cricket, I understand , and the hitting group understands it, that if you’re in the death overs and you’ve got a score behind you and you’re hitting well, you can capitalize on it big, “Kohli said after the game. .
He scored 34 runs in the first 30 innings, but his run across the fields and the pressure on opponents ensured that he could score 56 runs in his next 22 innings. The limits are temporary, Kohli running between the gates is permanent.
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