Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja says that Bengaluru may not have played with a big target as one of the reasons for Kohli’s batting. He said in Geocinema, ‘Talking about Kohli’s consistency is like explaining the existence of the sun. (But) he slowed down after the powerplay was over. May be due to Bengaluru losing 2 wickets. At times, it also seems, Bengaluru are quite adamant about the role of their players. DK (Karthik) will always come last. While doing that, Bengaluru is pressing the brakes.’
And former pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, however, sees a bright side as well, ‘He has transformed himself in the powerplay. We don’t see shots like that from him anymore. He takes his time, believes in himself, plays to the ball. He was right to attack. The bowler looks to spoil the line and length, but slows down after the wicket falls. Usually he is not that slow, here he hit no boundary in about 24-25 balls. The impact could have been huge. But the good thing is, he held on to one side, giving Rajat Patidar the opportunity to do the job.’
But no matter how Kohli plays, Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis is relieved to finally get another win, ‘huge relief. No matter where you are (on the points table), if you don’t win it affects you. Affects psychologically, affects confidence. I might sleep a little easier today.’
