RCB vs LSG: “Idea was to take the game away from the opposition in the powerplay” – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (PC: IPL/BCCI)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli has climbed to the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard after his 49-run knock against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 16. Despite a few injury concerns, Kohli showed better control and intent compared to his previous outing (vs MI), which guided RCB to the top of the points table.

Against LSG at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli looked in charge right from the start. He reached 40 runs off just 20 balls, putting Lucknow under pressure in the powerplay. Though his scoring dipped slightly later, he remained the highest scorer for his team with 49 off 34 balls at a strike rate of 144.11. He missed his half-century but played a crucial role in setting up the chase.

After his innings, the 37-year-old opened up about his health and said, “Much better than the last game, still not 100%, knee was sore last game, even health wise I was under the weather for the last four five days, happy with my intensity … wanted to take the game head on.”

The RCB stalwart has scored 228 runs from five innings at an average of 57.00 and a strike rate of 158.33, including two fifties.

Reflecting on his performance and approach, Virat added, “Should have finished that game off as well. Not enough grass on the pitch, slower than normal, last few days have been very hot … it was different… the idea was to take the game away from the opposition in the powerplay. Happy with my approach today.”

In the previous match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 12, Kohli struggled to find rhythm despite scoring a half-century. He took 37 balls to reach his fifty and was dismissed for 50 off 38 balls, including five boundaries and a six, at a strike rate of 131.57. Later, it was found that there was an ankle injury that led him not to come out to field in the second innings. Meanwhile, other RCB batters like Phil Salt (78), captain Rajat Patidar (53), and Tim David (34) looked fluent on the same pitch.

The defending champions will now face Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 18 in Bengaluru.

Also Read: “All the bowlers were unbelievable” – Hazlewood after RCB’s dominant win

For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz

The post RCB vs LSG: “Idea was to take the game away from the opposition in the powerplay” – Virat Kohli appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consistent Nicholas Pooran can be world’s top T20 batter

Image
Nicholas Pooran’s carnage against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image: IPL He has always had a calmness about him. A very West Indian relaxed kind of mindset and demeanour. And having seen adversity, he knows that one needs to celebrate and value the good that comes your way. The urge to keep getting better, and be the best version of oneself, is what defines the new Nicholas Pooran. That’s what came through in the candid conversations we had on the IPL and his own approach to batting. Not overawed by the 21-crore price tag or the weight of expectations, Pooran is simply going about his job. He knows he can hit the ball miles and is keeping it simple. Go and do what you do best for hours and hours at practice, and in doing so, help your team Lucknow Super Giants] demolish opponents. “The best part about this franchise is they have never put me under pressure,” he told me. “When you are paid a lot of money, there is always pressure. Not so much from outside but from within. You know you ne...
Read more

Turning the clock back by 0.12 seconds

Image
MS Dhoni with a stumping dismissal against MI in the IPL 2025 in Chennai (PC: BCCI) The moment of the Chennai Super Kings-Mumbai Indians match lasted less than half a second. It was the 11 th over of the MI innings. Suryakumar Yadav was bringing the batting side back in the game. Noor Ahmad beat him on a forward charge, the ball spun away, and the right-hander’s hind leg got off the ground before he planted it back. That was all MS Dhoni needed to brush the bails off. At a packed MA Chidambaram Stadium decked in yellow and chanting his name, that was the only occasion when Dhoni was in ‘action’. It showed that at 43, his reflexes have not slackened and he has got sharper in plotting dismissals. This one was replayed on TV again and again during the match and commentators couldn’t help but keep talking about it. He had conceded four byes on the leg side in the same over. But this was the Dhoni who elevated stumping to another level. When it comes to waiting for batters to err wit...
Read more

From scoring ton in Patna to taking on bouncers like a ‘bullet’ in Perth – Nitish’s story of perseverance

Image
Nitish Kumar Reddy during the 1st innings of the Perth Test (PC: Debasis Sen) “Grateful, an innings to remember.” Nitish Reddy had posted the aforesaid statement on his Instagram account after cracking his maiden first-class hundred, against Bihar, in Patna. It wasn’t just about Nitish scoring an unbeaten 159 for Andhra. It was also about the way he scored those runs. He essayed a few crunchy drives off Veer Pratap Singh and also showcased his range of shots against Ashutosh Aman, the left-arm spinner, by playing with the turn and also against the turn. This hundred from Nitish came just before the 2024 IPL season, where he accumulated 303 runs. Once again, it wasn’t just about Nitish accruing 303 runs as he accumulated them with a touch of class. Soon, the Indian think-tank drafted the all-rounder into the limited-overs set-up. Although he missed the Zimbabwe series because of a hernia problem, it was crystal clear that the coaching staff had a vision – to pick him for the tour o...
Read more