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Virat Kohli's efforts went in vain as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on March 29. RCB failed to defend a challenging total of 182 runs as KKR chased down the target with 19 balls to spare. Kohli scored a phenomenal 82 runs off 59 balls riding on four fours and as many sixes but to only see his side going down to KKR.
Virat Kohli started his innings strongly, charging KKR's star bowlers Mitchell Starc and Varun Chakravarthy. He was aggressive early on, reaching 62 runs off just 43 balls by the 15th over. With five overs remaining, it looked like Kohli will go on to notch another IPL century. However, Kohli's scoring pace slowed down in the later stages of his innings. He only managed to add 21 runs in his next 16 balls, falling short of his and the fans' expectations. While Dinesh Karthik's late cameo of 20 runs from just eight balls, including three sixes, provided a valuable boost to RCB's total, it also raised some questions. Karthik's ability to find boundaries at the death, especially compared to Kohli's struggles, became a talking point for everyone. Notably scored an eight-ball 20 riding on three sixes at a strike rate of 250 in comparison to Kohli's 140.68.
Gavaskar comes to Virat Kohli's rescue
Meanwhile, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar came to Kohli's rescue and said that the RCB legend can't do everything all alone as someone should have accompanied him to add some more runs to the team's total tally.
“You tell me how much Kohli will do alone - someone should accompany him, If someone had supported him today, he would definitely have scored 120 instead of 83, so this is team sport not a single man game, he didn't get any support today,” Gavaskar told broadcaster after the RCB versus KKR's match.
KKR's easy chase
Chasing a target of 183, built around Kohli's unbeaten 83, KKR's batting unit made light work of the challenge. Venkatesh Iyer anchored the chase with a well-compiled 50 off just 30 balls, including three fours and four sixes. His knock found perfect support from the openers, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, who provided a blistering start. Narine, celebrating his 500th T20 appearance, smashed a brilliant 47 off 22 balls, decorated with two fours and five sixes. Salt chipped in with a brisk 30 off 20 balls, including two fours and two sixes. The KKR batters never seemed troubled by the sluggish pitch or the RCB bowling attack. Their aggressive approach saw them chase down the target with 17 balls to spare, showcasing their dominance in the contest.
Meanwhile, RCB will next face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 2 while KKR will lock horns with Delhi Capitals on April 3.
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