Unlike previous seasons, Royal Challengers Bangalore have begun the first-half of the 2020 Indian Premier League is style, winning five matches out of seven to be placed third on the points table with 10 points. Against Chennai Super Kings, RCB captain Virat Kohli hammered 90 runs to take his team to a win, after which AB de Villiers stole the show, scoring 73* runs in 33 to take his side home against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kohli, who started the tournament on a bad note, has regained his form, and this has instilled confidence in the RCB team to go all the way. Before the start of RCB’s match against KKR, Kevin Pietersen was asked about Kohli and in his response, the former England captain praised the RCB skipper, saying he does not need crowds to put on a show.
“We are going to keep talking about Virat Kohli. We keep talking about him so much is because of the way he batted the other night. He has done that for years, years and years. But he hadn’t done that up until that points (90 not out against CSK). It actually doesn’t matter about the crowds. He has made himself into a kind of player that can dig deep,” Pietersen said on Star Sports.
With RCB next taking on Kings XI Punjab on Thursday, expectations will once again be high from Kohli. After beginning the season with scores of 14, 1 and 3, Kohli has returned good numbers – 72*, 43, 90* and 33*. More importantly, he has looked like the Kohli of old and stayed unbeaten in three of his last four innings, which bodes well for RCB as they look to end their trophy drought this year.
{{/usCountry}}With RCB next taking on Kings XI Punjab on Thursday, expectations will once again be high from Kohli. After beginning the season with scores of 14, 1 and 3, Kohli has returned good numbers – 72*, 43, 90* and 33*. More importantly, he has looked like the Kohli of old and stayed unbeaten in three of his last four innings, which bodes well for RCB as they look to end their trophy drought this year.
{{/usCountry}}“Those emotions are still there. We have seen it now on the field. He wears his heart on his sleeve. It is what it is. ‘I am Virat Kohli and this is the way I play.’ Crowds or no crowds. He has now convinced me that he doesn’t need crowds to put on a performance like he did,” Pietersen explained.