Mohammed Siraj defended 14 runs in the over against DC.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli while reviewing their win against Delhi Capitals (DC) in match 22 of IPL 2021 said that his side would’ve gained a more comprehensive victory if there weren’t for fielding lapses.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals by 1 run in a nail-bitter to register their fifth win of the IPL 14.
After having a shaky start to their innings, losing three wickets for 60 runs, RCB posted a competitive total of 171 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium on account of spectacular innings of 42 balls 75* runs by AB de Villiers.
DC despite valiant half-centuries by Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer failed to chase the target as Mohamed Siraj defended 14 runs in the last over that helped RCB secure yet another win to move back to the top of the IPL points table.
IPL 2021: WATCH - Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant engage in a light chat; Siraj, Avesh join them
Speaking at the post-match presentation RCB skipper Virat Kohli admitted that he felt the game was getting away from RCB at one point. He added that his side would’ve gained a more comprehensive victory if there weren’t fielding lapses.
"At one stage, I thought it was getting away. But Siraj's final over gave us confidence and he finished clinically in the end. If there weren't fielding lapses, it wasn't going to go this far anyway. We lost wickets but AB went berserk. Then in the last few overs, Hetymer got hold of a few. Otherwise, we were in control,” Virat Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
Kohli said that lack of dew made the difference for his side. He added that Glenn Maxwell is their seventh bowling option and it’s good for them as a team to have enough options in the bowling department.
"There was no dew tonight thanks to that sandstorm and we bowled with a dry ball, so that made a difference. Maxi is still not bowling, he's the 7th option, so we have enough options to do the job for us. We always had batting depth, but now we have a lot of bowling options too,” he said.
Virat Kohli further said that he tends to be positive but captaining for too long makes him nervous. He, however, lauded AB de Villiers for his sensational knock.
"I choose to be optimistic, but captaining for too long does make you nervous. I invariably go with the gut feel of the bowler. AB doesn't like me saying this, but he hasn't played competitive cricket for 5 months, and given that, AB's innings was absolutely top-notch as he has done time and again for us,” he concluded.
With five wins out of their six matches, the Virat Kohli-led side will next face Punjab Kings (PBKS) on 29th April at Ahmedabad.
(ANI inputs)