IPL 13: Washington Sundar has been on point this season, says Padikkal
Oct 13, 2020
Sharjah [UAE], October 13 : Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal has hailed the efforts of the spinners of his side, saying that both Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal have taken wickets at crucial situations.
His remark came as RCB defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 82 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. While chasing 195, the Dinesh Karthik-led KKR was restricted to 112/9 as Chris Morris and Washington Sundar scalped two wickets each.
"It has been important for us that our spinners take wickets at crucial times. It is not just that they are controlling the runs, they have been taking wickets at crucial situations. Washington Sundar has been on point, the way he has been bowling in the powerplay, that has been amazing," Padikkal told Aaron Finch in a video posted on iplt20.com.
While batting first, RCB posted a total of 194/2 in the allotted twenty overs. AB de Villiers played a knock of 73 runs from just 33 balls with the help of five fours and six 6s.
Virat and de Villiers shared an unbeaten partnership of 100 runs. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy was the most economical bowler as he finished his four overs with figures of 0-25. RCB had scored 83 runs in the last five overs of their innings.
Opening batters Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal had also provided a good start to RCB against KKR as the duo put on 67 runs for the first wicket. Padikkal and Finch had played knocks of 32 and 47 respectively.
"It was important that we got a good start, I know Sharjah is a small ground, there is a lot of pressure of getting huge runs batting first, it is good that we kept the focus on our basics and we were able to set a base so that the rest of them can carry on," Padikkal said.
"Definitely, it is a bit different playing in the UAE but I am open to this challenge, there is so much I am learning from you guys. The partnership AB de Villiers and Virat had, that was amazing to see, they have 3000 runs together. It is a treat to watch de Villiers bat, some of the shots he plays, they are incredible. He just made it look easy," he added.
RCB will next take on Kings XI Punjab on October 15 while KKR will lock horns with Mumbai Indians on October 16. RCB is currently at the third position in the points table while KKR is in the fourth place.
