Virat Kohli is playing IPL 2022 first time since 2012 as a player for RCB.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Virat Kohli had a decently good start in their opening match in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) against Punjab Kings (PBKS), but he failed to get going in their next match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 30.
Kohli made an unbeaten 41 in the losing cause against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their opening match. However, despite starting off well against KKR in their next match, Kohli managed just 12 runs off 7 balls in a chase of 129 runs in the 6th match of the ongoing IPL 2022 on Wednesday.
Despite being in danger of losing the match, calm and composed partnership between David Willey and Sherfance Rutherford and terrific finishing from Dinesh Karthik led the RCB to a three-wicket win in the end.
Former Team India coach and commentator, Ravi Shastri, extended his support to Kohli by saying that the former skipper is slowly but surely regaining clarity of thought when it comes to being decisive about his batting.
Ravi Shastri told Star Sports: “Clutter When you are in bubbles, when you are going through a routine that cricket has not seen in the last 40-50 years, you can get into a rut. The clarity of thought that used to be there isn’t there. Now with the burden of captaincy not there, he can now think for himself and not be worried about anything else.”
He further explained, “That clarity of thought might come back; we saw glimpses of that in the last game. You want to have complete intent when you are looking to do something. When that clarity is there, he will do it. You will sit down and ask him ‘what were you trying?’ On a track that was offering so much (to the bowlers), in the hindsight, you could say he should have probably left it. He got off to a great start. He looked a million dollars in the 10 minutes he was at the crease.”
Shastri concluded, “I would say (the reason for the dismissal) was more a loss of concentration. Your hands go away from the body and you at the ball. In a better moment, on another day, you probably would have left it alone. You would have waited for the bowlers to bowl at you. He was batting second; he could afford to play the waiting game, knowing you were chasing only 129.”
(With Star Sports Inputs)