IPL 13: We were not brave enough with bat, says Kohli
Oct 31, 2020
Sharjah [UAE], October 31 : After suffering a five-wicket loss against SunRisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli admitted that the side failed to put up a decent target to defend.
With this win, SunRisers Hyderabad have now climbed to the fourth spot in the points table with 12 points from 13 matches. On the other hand, RCB is in second place with 14 points from 13 matches.
Chasing 121, SRH got off to the worst start possible as skipper David Warner (8) gave his wicket away in the second over off the bowling of Washington Sundar. Manish Pandey then joined Wriddhiman Saha in the middle and the duo slammed RCB bowlers all around the park and as a result, SRH was poised well at 58/1 at the end of the sixth over.
In the seventh over, Virat Kohli introduced Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack and the spinner did not disappoint as he got the wicket of Manish Pandey (26).
RCB did not let runs come by in a canter and the side took the wickets of Saha (39) and Kane Williamson (8) in quick succession, reducing SRH to 87/4 in the 13th over. In the end, Jason Holder played an unbeaten knock of 26 runs to take SRH over the line by five wickets in hand and 35 balls to spare.
"It was never enough. We thought 140 might be a good total to get into the game, but things changed drastically, which we didn't predict. It is strange. We thought the weather became pleasant, and there won't be much dew. I thought we were not brave enough with the bat throughout the innings," Kohli told host broadcasters Star Sports after the match.
"To be fair to them, they bowled in the right areas and used the pitch. The situation is straightforward: win the last game and finish in the top two. It is going to be a cracker of a game with two teams locked at 14. I have always been a Bangalore boy when it comes to the IPL, and never drifted towards Delhi," he added.
Earlier, SunRisers Hyderabad's bowlers did not let RCB fly away and as a result, Virat Kohli's side was restricted to 120/7 in the allotted twenty overs.
RCB will now face Delhi Capitals in their last league game at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday, November 2.
