It was a disappointing start to IPL 2021 phase 2 from the Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore as they scored their 6th lowest total. Opting to bat first, RCB were all out for 92 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.
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RCB – 68/7 (14)#KKRvRCB #KKR #AmiKKR #KorboLorboJeetbo #আমিKKR #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/Zz5vDAxG7b
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) September 20, 2021
Kolkata Knight Riders won the game by beating RCB by nine wickets. KKR gave a stunning performance in all the departments of the game, making a solid return to the league. None of the RCB batsmen got going and they constantly kept losing the wickets in front of some very disciplined bowling from KKR.
While RCB struggled to find some rhythm going into their batting innings, on the other hand, KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy turned out to be the hero with the ball with a 3-fer. Later, while chasing the target of 93 runs for a win, openers Shubman Gill (48) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (41 not out) stitched 82 runs together as KKR reached 94/1 in just 10 overs.
After the match, the RCB skipper Virat Kohli said that it was important to get partnerships on this surface. He stated that initially, it looked like it will slow down but he didn’t expect so much dew to kick in so early. He said:
“It was important to get a good partnership. We didn’t expect that much dew to kick in that early. From 42 for 1, we lost 5 wickets for 20-odd. Bit of a wake-up call, might as well have this at the start of the second leg so that we know what we should work on. You can make the argument that we were rusty but as professionals you’re expected to turn up and adjust. Sometimes it can take you a game, I hope not two, to get into the tournament, you have to stay with the eight-ball, if you’re not, the other teams will be all over you.”
Furthermore, Virat also heaped praises on Varun Chakravarthy for his bowling and feels that he is going to be a key factor when he will play for India in the future. He said:
“Pretty good from Varun, he’s going to be a key factor when he plays for India. It’s great guys who’ve got the opportunity to play at the international level. He’s someone who is going to play in the near future for India, it’s a great sign.”
Virat concluding by saying that it’s a wake-up call for his team as the squad needs to pull up and put in some strong performances. He said:
“We have five win from eight, we expect a loss here and there, it’s part and parcel, need to be professional, stick to our strengths and execute our plans. We have absolute confidence in our squad to pull up next game onwards and put in strong performances.”
