RCB got off to a rip-roaring start as they hammered their way through a hapless Mumbai Indians bowling unit. Two of the finest batters in the tournament, came to life, showcasing their hard-hitting flair, that took on the five-time champions and left them rocked like a roller-coaster.
Faf du Plessis started on a sumptuous note followed by Virat Kohli’s hard-hitting groove that saw the duo post 148 runs for the opening stand, allowing RCB to stand tall and walk away with a crucial win. In fact, Glenn Maxwell chimed in with a couple of biggies too while Karn Sharma was in fine touch with the ball in his hands as he bagged a couple of crucial wickets.
Here is what Virat Kohli had to say on his batting display in the opener
Shattering the silence on how good RCB is, Virat Kohli drew an unreal comparison, stating, “I wanted to mention this for a while – after MI who have 5 titles and CSK who have 4, if I’m not wrong, we are the third team to have qualified the most times to the playoffs – 8 times. Take one game at a time and try to be a balanced side which we are and we would look to execute our plans as we did tonight.”
Talking on RCB’s return to home, Kohli said, “I thought it was a phenomenal win, a homecoming after 4 years. Couldn’t have asked for a better game. Phenomenal, it was a packed crowd, every seat was full when we walked in here. Very important we started off well, their support propelled us and that makes a massive difference.”
Virat Kohli states that Karn Sharma can be a big difference
Adding a few words on Karn Sharma, Kohli said, “He was phenomenal, when he got that left-hander out, that was great bowling. He was bowling so well last year. He was ready to play. Even in the nets, he was not getting hit for sixes. He put us on the front foot right away. The first game of the IPL, and to perform like that was great. Apart from Mumbai winning five times and Chennai four times, we have qualified the most number of times, so we do play consistent cricket. It’s just about staying focused, and just try to be the best balanced team. We need to play on this momentum. We just need to execute better.”
