Virat Kohli mimics Ashwin's famous T20 World Cup leave off the spinner's bowling in RR vs RCB IPL 2024 clash; responds with a smile
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli put out a cheeky smile after leaving a wide delivery off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling. The incident occurred during the clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 6.
The leave was a major throwback to the famous leave by Ravichandran Ashwin in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It happened in the last over against Mohammad Nawaz during India's win over Pakistan.
On Saturday, Ashwin, following a tight first over in the powerplay, returned to the bowling attack in the seventh over of the innings. The spinner tried to unsettle the RCB opener by bowling with a slingy action, but the latter left the wide delivery alone. The two players, who have played against each other for a long time, exchanged glances while Kohli smiled before preparing his stance for the next delivery.
Have a look at the leave right here:
Ashwin bowled a tight spell, conceding only 28 runs in four overs. While he ended up wicketless, his spell was integral in controlling the proceedings in the middle overs of the innings.
"I couldn't get under the ball against Ashwin" - Virat Kohli
Kohli's battle against Ashwin was riveting, as he converted his start into yet another IPL hundred. He even spoke about the struggles of trying to score against Ashwin during the mid-innings pitch interview.
"The wicket looks quite different from the outside. It feels like it's flat, but the ball is holding up in the pitch, that's when you realise the pace changes. One of us (Virat or Faf) had to bat till the end. I feel this total is effective on this pitch. I am not coming in with any premeditation. I knew I couldn't get over aggressive, just that I had to keep the bowlers guessing.
"It's just experience and maturity of playing the conditions. Even if there's dew, the surface is rough and dry, won't be easy for the batters. I couldn't get under the ball against Ashwin. Couldn't slog towards mid-wicket, so had to target straight down the ground," Kohli said
RCB suffered their third successive defeat and fourth overall, as RR chased down the total with five balls to spare, courtesy of Jos Buttler's unbeaten hundred.