The former Indian captain scored his third fifty of the season against the Capitals
There is no doubt that King Kohli & Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of the most talked about teams not only in the IPL but in the world of sports as well as in different sporting leagues. RCB is not just a team it is a brand which is evident by the fact that leading airline company Qatar Airways has signed a three-year deal with the team.
Another reason for the team’s growing popularity is the presence of the former Indian captain who is regarded as the modern-day great Virat Kohli. The right-hander is the only player in IPL’S history to play for the same team from the league’s first season. This a feat that even Dhoni has not achieved throughout his association with CSK as the team was banned from IPL for two years.
Image Courtesy: India Today
One of the reasons for Kohli’s consistent run with RCB is his form. Kohli has been scoring runs consistently for the team over the years.
Yes, There was a lean patch in modern master’s form for the last three years but other than that he has been in great form throughout his IPL career. Especially during the 2016 season when he scored 973 runs and single-handedly helped his team reach the final.
King Kohli’s form in this season
It is safe to say that Virat has regained his form this season as he has scored over 200 runs this season in just four matches with three half-centuries, the latest of the four half-centuries coming in the match against DC which RCB won convincingly.
Talking about the match RCB batted first after losing the toss and they got off to a flier as the opening duo of Du Palsies and Virat Kohli added 49 runs for the first wicket before Faf was dismissed courtesy of a stunning catch by Amaan Khan. Kohli continued to play his shots despite Faf’s wicket.
He completed yet another fifty but was dismissed soon after as he mistimed a full toss by Lalit Yadav to hit it straight into the hands of the lone fielder stationed at the boundary. It was the small opening that DC needed and they made full use of it as DC bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals to restrict RCB to a par total of 174.
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Delhi Capitals got off to the worst possible start as they lost their first three wickets with just four runs on the board as Shaw and Marsh threw their wickets away. Shaw was runout on the first ball he faced and Mitchell Marsh got out after the all-rounder skied up a ball courtesy off a leading edge in the second over of the innings from where it was an uphill task to win the match.
Things got more difficult when David Warner got out when the score was 30. Although Manish Pandey who came in to bat at Number Five after the fall of Yash Dhull’s wicket tried his best to take the team close by scoring fifty at a good strike rate.
He got useful support from vice-captain Axar Patel who scored a quick-fire 21 off just 14 balls but as he got out that was the end of hopes for the Capitals.
With that loss, Delhi Capitals have now lost five straight games this season and the road ahead looks very difficult.
