Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes Virat Kohli showed glimpses of the old, vintage player in RCB’s opening match against Punjab Kings at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Sunday.
Kohli scored an unbeaten knock of 41 runs off just 29 balls and added a fine alliance of 118 runs with skipper Faf du Plessis.
The talisman started his knock in a usual manner as he rotated the strike and took an odd risk against left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar. Kohli’s knock was laced with one four and two sixes as he concentrated on giving the strike to Faf du Plessis. However, Kohli’s knock went in vain as Punjab Kings chased down 206 runs with five wickets in hand.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 41 off 29 and it was an interesting knock. He looked like the old, vintage Virat. He was striking the ball hard but was not looking to keep the strike.”
On the other hand, Faf du Plessis played a captain’s knock for RCB as he scored 88 runs from only 57 balls. The right-hander got off to a slow start but he was able to change gears after settling in at the crease.
“Faf du Plessis was let off by Shahrukh Khan early in his innings. He started slowly but once he got into his groove, there was no stopping him. His 88 was an amazing innings. After that, Dinesh Karthik came in and got the big hits as well to take RCB past 200.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj conceded 25 runs in the 18th over he bowled for RCB and it was the turning point of the game. The renowned commentator predicted that Punjab Kings could trouble their opponents in IPL 2022.
“Like in the DC vs MI game, the 18th over made the difference here too. Mohammed Siraj conceded 25 runs. He had claimed two wickets in two balls, but in the end went for 59 runs in his four overs. Eventually, PBKS won with an over and wickets in hand.”
“This team could trouble opponents. Kagiso Rabada will come in and so will Jonny Bairstow. This team will start looking even better.”
RCB will next face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Wednesday.
