IPL 2021: “We didn’t show courage with the ball” - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli criticised his bowlers after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) slumped to another defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 35th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Sharjah.

Despite Kohli's 53 and Devdutt Padikkal's 70, RCB could only post 156 runs on the board, when they looked good for much more. In response, CSK got home with almost two overs and six wickets to spare.

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The RCB captain said that his bowlers lacked the X-factor in the powerplay and didn’t have enough courage with the ball. He also pointed out not scoring around 175, which he felt could have been a winning total on the day.

“The wicket did slow down a bit. But I feel we left 15-20 runs out there. 175 would’ve been a winning total. We didn’t bowl consistently, and they got away with too many boundary opportunities. We didn’t show that much courage with the ball,” said Virat Kohli in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We spoke of areas we didn’t want them to hit, but we couldn’t execute that. The X-Factor was missing in the first 5-6 overs. But it’s essential to execute balls during the crunch moments. Those few moments and that’s what we failed to capitalise on.”

The win takes CSK to the top of the IPL 2021 points table, with 14 points after nine matches. Although CSK are tied on points with Delhi Capitals (DC), the MS Dhoni-led unit have a superior net run rate.

Virat Kohli praises CSK's death bowling

Virat Kohli credited CSK for their death bowling, particularly their execution of slower balls and yorkers. Sent in to bat first, RCB were off to a good start with Virat Kohli (53 off 41) and Devdutt Padikkal (70 off 50), adding 111 for the first wicket from 80 balls.

Despite a good start, RCB managed only 156. CSK gave away only 16 runs off the last 19 balls, and picked up five wickets. Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur were the destructors in chief, claiming five wickets between them. and going for just 53 runs in eight overs.

“They bowled well in the back end of the innings, executed the slower balls and yorkers nicely. It was difficult for us to get elevation, and only bad balls could be put away.

“This loss is a bit more disappointing. The first one (against Kolkata Knight Riders), we just weren’t in the game. We have to show more courage in crunch moments. We need to get on a winning run again. This tournament goes by quickly,” concluded Virat Kohli.

With back-to-back losses in the second phase of the tournament, RCB are in danger of slipping down the points table after a bright start. They remain in third place with ten points.

Virat Kohli and co will next play defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI). In a much-anticipated clash, two giants of Indian cricket - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - will face off on Sunday in Dubai.