Dubai: The Royal Challengers Bangalore squad was made of half-centuries from debutant Devdutt Padikkal and the legend AB de Villiers, though de Villiers admitted to having suspicion about his form coming into the game without having performed in competitive cricket for a long time due to the pandemic situation. It was Yuzvendra Chahal who took two wickets in the 16th over and swing the game to their side against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday (September 21) at Dubai International Stadium in the UAE.
The orange army bagged 121 for 2 wickets, needing 43 to win from 30 balls with Jonny Bairstow batting on 61, at that moment the game was totally by their side, but Chahal took two wickets in 16th over, including Bairstow’s, to swing the match his team’s way. Previously, Chahal had scalped Manish Pandey’s wicket to end a 71-run stand for the second wicket, and he finished with 3 for 18 in four overs and achieved the Man of the Match award.
“We kept our composure tonight,” Kohli told Star, the host broadcaster. “When they needed 43 I think off five, just had a chat in the middle saying ‘no shoulders dropping till the last run is scored. The game can change anytime.’ And Yuzi comes in, the strike bowler that he’s been for us, and changes the game completely in that over.”
Off to a great start. Well done lads. We march on 💪💪 #PlayBold @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/hDKdX8rggo
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 21, 2020
“Not many other spinners got too much out of the pitch, but tonight he showed that if you have skill in the wrist, you can purchase on any track,” RCB captain Kohli added of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium pitch. “That’s why he bowls well in Bangalore too. The dew was a big factor tonight, the pitch was decent to bat on in the second half I thought – much better than the first half. But the way he came in, backed his skill and got the ball to turn and bowled attacking lines. He was the one who changed the game, in my opinion.”
Chahal had a different plan for each of the three wickets he got, and all of them executed well. “When I bowled to Pandey I had the cover fielder back, so maybe he thought I’ll bowl outside off-stump,” Chahal explained. “But that ball, I bowled on the stumps.
“For Bairstow, I knew that we need his wicket that over to come back into the game, even if I go for runs. That’s why I bowled it a bit fuller, but a bit on the legside, because it is very hard to hit from there since the ball is turning. And when Vijay (Shankar) came, Virat bhaiyya and AB (de Villiers) sir, we had decided that the first ball I will bowl a googly.”
Kohli said that the way his side had not given up even when the equation was in the Sunrisers’ favour predicted well for the season.
“In the past if we had 43 off five, you would probably see shoulders dropping. The fact that we didn’t let the negativity seep into the bowling group even when there was dew and it was difficult to bowl, the guys kept believing and kept bowling attacking areas. Someone like Shivam (Dube) coming in and bowling three proper overs was an outstanding sign for us… a part-timer coming and doing the job means the guys want the opportunity, they want to be in pressure situations. And that’s the kind of mindset we want to be in.”
“I surprised myself to be honest,” he said of his 30-ball 51. “As a 36-year-old to come here, without having played a lot of cricket, you do doubt yourself. But we worked really hard the last four weeks as a team and individually as well to get myself in some kind of form. Tonight was a very pleasing start. Unfortunately got run out there at the end but I’m pretty happy with the basics that seem to be in place.”
