Out-of-form Virat Kohli on Friday looked in good touch against Punjab Kings but the Royal Challengers Bangalore star once again failed to convert his start into a big total. The former Bangalore skipper was thwarted by the dismissal as he looked up to the heavens and perhaps uttered ‘what else do you want me to do?’ IPL 2022 Full Coverage
Bangalore lost to Punjab Kings by 54 runs and Kohli was again out for 20 to prolong his wretched run in the ongoing 10-team tournament. A visibly agitated Kohli made his way back to the dugout, summing up his season so far. Kohli has only 236 runs with one half-century in 12 games this season but Bangalore’s Director of Cricket Mike Hesson believes it’s not a technical thing. The former New Zealand coach said a big knock is imminent from the star batter as the tournament enters business end.
“It is not a technical thing,” Hesson said after Bangalore’s defeat. “He looked in really good touch today. He was unfortunate. I thought we were going to see something special. Virat is as frustrated as anyone but we know that the epic one is around the corner.
“We have got a huge game coming up. So there is no reason why it won’t be in a few days’ time,” he further added.
“He looked in good touch, he was aggressive, and he is doing everything off the park as well in terms of making sure he prepares well. I thought today was going to be his day but once again…”
The 33-year-old Kohli might have had a torrid period with the willow, but the mercurial player has got the backing of the Bangalore camp including current skipper Faf du Plessis. The South African said his predecessor is seeing the lighter side of his botched IPL phase.
“Kohli is seeing the lighter side of it, every single way that you can possibly get out, is happening to him. That’s how the game works. All you can do is to keep trying hard, work hard and stay positive. He played some good shots tonight, obviously would want him to carry on. Bad patches happen to all of us, he’s taken it in the right note,” said du Plessis in the post-match presentation.
With this loss against PBKS, RCB are currently at 14 points in 13 matches. They had only one match left against the top team of the tournament, Gujarat Titans, on May 19.
