Gulte News
Indian Premier League is off to a brilliant beginning this year. Although the tournament attracted zero buzz, the first match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians satisfied the cricket lovers. The game did start on a boring note and the first innings had nothing great to talk about. But, the match went till the last ball and almost gave a mini-heart attack to both MI and RCB fans. Finally, Royal Challengers Bangalore successfully chased the target of 160 in 20 overs. However, the team committed two mistakes that delayed their victory. If AB De Villiers did not put a great knock in the middle, RCB would have been on the losing end.
- Captain Virat Kohli made a poor decision to send the star player AB De Villiers at number 5. ABD is a great opening batsman who can also do wonders when played in the top order. But, he is sent into the middle at number 5. Moreover, while chasing, any player would taste the pressure and in the first match, ABD also experienced this pressure. Had he been promoted in the order, he would have played comfortably. Former RCB player Yuvraj Singh also pointed out the same.
- Virat Kohli picked a team that has more bowlers. Certainly, he had many options to play against Mumbai Indians. But, he did not give the chance to Washington Sundar who could have easily picked the wickets. Sundar was given only one over and he still dismissed Chris Lynn who played well by putting a 49 on the scorecard. Had Sundar been given a full quota, he would surely have controlled the Mumbai batsmen. Former Indian cricketer Krishnamachary Srikanth also felt the same.
However, in the end, Harshal Patel with a five-wicket-haul and some shines from Maxwell, ABD resulted in Royal Challengers Bangalore winning the first match of the season. Else, it could have been a disaster.
Tags AB DeVilliers RCB IPL 2021 Virat Kohli
