IPL 2021: "At one stage, I thought it was getting away" - Virat Kohli on RCB's last-ball win
It was another nail-biter of a clash between DC and Virat Kohli's RCB at Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Chasing a total of 171 in a sandstorm-ridden game, Delhi came inches close to victory against RCB only to fall short by 1 run in the end.
Even though Virat Kohli was the happier captain at the end of the day, he admitted he felt the game was getting away from RCB at one point. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kohli revealed:
"At one stage, I thought it was getting away. But Siraj's final over gave us confidence and he finished clinically in the end. If there weren't fielding lapses, it wasn't going to go this far anyway. We lost wickets but AB went berserk. Then in the last few overs, Hetmyer got hold of a few. Otherwise, we remained in control throughout."
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Virat Kohli also mentioned that the lack of drew made the difference in Tuesday's game.
"There was no dew tonight thanks to that sandstorm and we bowled with a dry ball, so that made a difference," said Kohli.
Maxwell is our 7th bowling option: Virat Kohli
Speaking about Glenn Maxwell not bowling for RCB despite his talents, Kohli revealed that the team has many bowling options at their disposal.
"Maxi is still not bowling, he's the 7th option, so we have enough options to do the job for us. We always had batting depth, but now we have a lot of bowling options too," said Virat Kohli.
Kohli also heaped praise on his teammate AB de Villiers for playing a sensational knock during a difficult period in the game.
"AB doesn't like me saying this, but he hasn't played competitive cricket for 5 months. And given that, his innings was absolutely top-notch as he has done time and again for us," said Kohli.
Virat Kohli's RCB move to the top of the points table
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who were sent in to bat, got off to a shaky start. It was AB de Villiers who put on a solid performance to propel his team to a total of 171 in 20 overs.
Chasing the total, the Delhi Capitals lost their top order and were struggling to find their way in the game. However, a blitzkrieg from Shimron Hetmyer towards the end turned the game into a last-ball thriller.
Eventually, it was Mohammed Siraj's heroics in the last over that helped RCB secure yet another win to move back to the top of the IPL points table. RCB now have 5 wins from 6 games and are the first team to cross 10 points in IPL 2021. DC, on the other hand, are third in the table, with 4 wins in 6 games.
Virat Kohli's men are now only 3 wins away from virtually securing a play-offs spot this season.