IPL 2018: Virat Kohli feels honoured to bat with AB de Villiers

Kohli and de Villiers forged a scintillating 118-run stand off 64 balls to script a 5-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils at Kotla on Sunday.

Kohli and de Villiers put on a show against the Delhi Daredevils on Saturday at Kotla | IANS

Virat Kohli was an elated captain after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s emphatic 5-wicket over Delhi Daredevils at Kotla on Saturday (May 12) night.

RCB rode on Kohli and AB de Villiers’ brilliance with the bat to chase down Delhi’s stiff target of 182 with an over to spare. The duo shared a scintillating 118-run partnership off 64 balls, with Virat scoring a swashbuckling 40-ball 70 (7 fours and 3 sixes) and De Villiers notching up a majestic 37-ball 72* (4 fours and 6 sixes).

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli said: “The table is wide open. It is the right time to get a win for us. It was a great feeling playing in front of a big crowd. Surprising to see so much support for us in Delhi. Again not a clinical show with the ball. We should have restricted them to maximum 160, but they played really well. At this stage of the tournament, maybe we will prefer bowling first because the batsmen can take more responsibility and chase down every total.”

“We understand teams don’t want to let us win now. Ask the opposition team to get the runs and tell them we are coming after it. That’s what works for our team and it really motivates us. I wasn’t happy with the way we finished with the ball, but AB told me in the innings break that we can do this and that is what helped me get into the zone and then I let my instincts take over,” he added.

It was De Villiers’ first substantial knock since his return from illness. After the departure of Virat in the 14th over, AB took the responsibility to saw RCB home.

Talking about his jaw-dropping partnership with the Proteas batting genius, Kohli said it’s an honour for him to bat with AB.

“It’s an honour for me to bat with AB. We were looking to finish it with a few more overs to spare to help the net run rate, but the two points are very important,” Virat Kohli concluded.

It was RCB's fourth win in 11 games and they are still pretty much alive for the playoffs berth. The Bangalore-based franchise will now play their next game against the Kings XI Punjab in Indore on Monday (May 14).

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 13 May, 2018

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