Virat Kohli’s aggressive batting paid dividends as his 92-run knock led the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a resounding 60-run victory over Punjab Kings on Thursday. Kohli’s match-winning knock of runs showcased a blend of classic technique and calculated risk-taking, as he scored his 92 off just 47 deliveries. Over the past many weeks, Kohli faced criticism over his relatively lower strike rate, but he silenced the doubters with his blitzkrieg in Dharamsala.
In post-match interaction, Kohli emphasized his focus on enhancing the quality of his game over personal run-scoring milestones and added that it is important for him to keep reinventing his game.
“For me, it’s still quality over quantity. More so now, at this stage of my career and me being 35 heading into 36,” Kohli said, as he was named the player of the match.
“Quality over quantity works well for me. The understanding of the game over so many years is something that allows you to practice less but still stay mentally switched on. That’s something I’ve tried to replicate in every practice session.
“And some added challenges in terms of improving your game, certain aspects of the game that you can get better at. It’s an ever-evolving process, I’m not a guy who sits around and says this is the way I play and not improve around things I need to.”
Brought back the slog-sweeps
Kohli has used slog-sweeps significantly this year but revealed he never actually practised the shot, adding that his understanding of the game, backed by so many years in the highest level of the game, meant he only needed to have conviction and confidence in his stroke-playing.
“I brought out the slog-sweep against the spinners. I mentally put myself in that situation and didn’t practice it at all. I know I can hit it because I’ve done it in the past. I knew I needed to take a bit more risk; I used to hit that shot regularly back in the day. That allows me to hit off the backfoot as well because I want to expose that side of the field against the spin,” said Kohli.
“It takes a bit more conviction and takes out the thought, ‘What if I get out?’. I managed to stay out of the thought, and it helped me in the middle overs, keeping my strike rate and scoring rate up for the team.”
While RCB’s batting prowess set the tone for victory, their bowlers sealed the deal with a clinical performance. Despite a fine half-century by Rilee Rossouw for PBKS, RCB’s bowling unit delivered a disciplined display, restricting their opponents to a modest total of 181 runs. RCB now have 10 points from 12 matches but still require favourable results from other matches to stay alive in the playoffs race.
