Xtra Time Web Desk: A master class from AB de Villiers (73 off 33) coupled with a combined effort of the bowlers helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) register a comprehensive 82 runs victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 28 of the IPL 2020 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. Batting first Royal Challengers Bangalore posted 194/4 with contributions from all the top four batsmen. But it was AB’s knock in particular that eventually made the difference between both sides. Mr 360 degree played whirlwind knock in which he belted the KKR bowlers all round the park. He hit 6 sixes, a couple of them landing on the streets while also also smacking 5 boundaries in his 33 ball innings. Chasing a target of 195 runs to win , the KKR batting crumbled to 112/9. Yuzuvendra Chahal was the pick of the RCB bowlers as the leg spinner returned with figures 4-12-1.
There were quite a few milestones that were set at Sharjah. AB and Virat stitched yet another 100 runs partnership, 10th so far getting past the record set by Gayle and Kohli who scored 9 hundred run partnerships. The duo also crossed the 3000 runs mark between them.
Later talking at the post match presentation, a visibly satisfied AB de Villiers said, “Very happy with the performance. Got a duck in the last game, a terrible feeling. Very happy that I contributed. Surprised myself out there tonight. Knew the wicket was quite tough to bat on. But I thought 145-150 wasn’t enough. So I looked to go further, and was surprised to get 195. They’ve got a really good bowling attack. The margins are small and you have to use every bit of energy.”
RCB Captain Virat Kohli was a relaxed man after the match. Sharing his thoughts about batting with AB, Kohli said, “Was unbelievable. I thought I had a few balls under my belt so I’ll start striking. But he came in and hit his third ball nicely. On a pitch like that, only AB can do that. It was a special knock. We got 195 purely because of the genius of that man.”
Talking about the convincing win, Virat credited Proteas fast bowler Chris Morris who has been outstanding in the last two matches.
“Bowling unit, with Morris coming in, looks all the more potent. At the toss the pitch didn’t have the usual Sharjah sheen. Knew the wicket was going to get slower and slower. Barring one super-human, everyone struggled on that pitch. Talk was around 165-170. Preparation was really good. All depends on the mindset. It’s very positive. If your bowling unit is strong, you have a great chance of going deep in the tournament. Always things you can reflect on and say you can improve on these things. All about taking this momentum forward. Don’t want to be complacent.”