Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Mike Hesson said Virat Kohli is only a human and it’s okay for him to go through a lean patch but stressed that the team management always believed that the former captain will get going at some point in IPL 2022.
Virat Kohli was looking pumped up as he punched the air in delight whenever he middled one and made sure his batting partner Faf du Plessis caught on to his infectious energy. Kohli was egging himself on to get the job done for his team after having suffered one of the leanest patches of his career in IPL 2022.
Kohli broke the drought and got to his fifty in just 33 balls and finished with 73 off 54 deliveries as he helped RCB win 2 crucial points and keep their playoffs hopes alive. Kohli stitched a 115-run partnership with Faf du Plessis as RCB chased down 169 on a sluggish pitch with 8 balls to spare.
“Look, absolutely delighted. I think just shows like any team if you have the top order firing and a player like Virat (Kohli), then it makes the rest of the chase a lot easier. And obviously chasing scores here, you know, hasn’t been our forte so far in this IPL,” Hesson told the press after RCB’s big win.
“We’ve sort of been able to defend scores but haven’t been able to chase. So I think we know Virat the ‘chase master’ and obviously he set the tone again today. So obviously crucial game for us. And as you said, the I guess the big players stand up, don’t they?”
Kohli kissed his gloves after getting to only his 2nd fifty of the season and looked up to the night sky with a sense of relief.
“He brought a huge amount of intensity to the game, we could see that from the sidelines. Whether Faf was on strike, played a good shot or rotated the strike, he was pretty much in the game. He just needed that little bit of luck to go his way and we knew he would get going. I think we know when Virat is in that frame of mind, good luck, he can take the game away from anyone,” Hesson added.
