Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar has backed struggling Virat Kohli to come good, after the batter failed to make a significant contribution for the franchise in the 39th match of the ongoing IPL 2022 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 26.
Kohli's scores in his last five innings read 9, 0, 0, 12, and 1, while he has managed only 128 runs in his nine outings so far in the ongoing IPL 2022. Reacting to Kohli’s horror run with the bat, Bangar said that the dashing right-hander will soon come out of the lean phase and help RCB win matches in the IPL 15.
Sanjay Bangar said at the post-match press conference after RCB's 29-run loss to RR: “Regarding Kohli's form, he's a great cricketer. He's experienced these highs and lows many times before. I've observed him from close quarters. He has the spirit and he'll emerge from this run of low scores. In the coming crucial games, he'll help us win.”
He added, “We aren't talking about anything different (in practice), to be honest. The way he prepares, he always puts himself out of his comfort zone and prepares and that's his specialty. This is why he can emerge from tough situations and his attitude is commendable. Yes, he's had a low run of scores but he is so mentally strong, he'll be able to put in a better performance.”
Bangar also admitted that the top-order batters’ form is a concern for the RCB.
He signed off by saying, “We've all seen that negotiating the new ball is a challenge for most of the teams. Whenever we lose early wickets, we sort of lose them in clusters and that's what is pulling the team back, and [we are] rightly [losing] games that we should have won. That's why we are not able to finish the job.”
(With PTI Inputs)
