Former Australian captain Aaron Finch defended Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli and was criticized for his knock against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Aaron Finch explained that Virat Kohli wanted to approach the game a little more intensely and allow other batters to score at a high rate.
The Faf du Plessis-led team secured a 35-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, Virat Kohli was criticized for his slow half-century. The batsman scored 32 runs off 18 balls in the first six overs. He managed to add just 19 runs off the next 25 deliveries in the final game.
The former RCB captain was dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat after scoring 51 runs off 43 balls. Rajat Patidar hit four sixes in a row against Mayank Markande. Patidar reached his half-century in just 19 balls. Cameron Green played a cameo scoring 37 runs off 20 balls, helping the team to 206 runs in 20 overs.
Virat Kohli was on an absolute high – Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch pointed out that Virat Kohli started aggressively but his scoring rate dipped after the powerplay. Finch stated that Kohli wanted to give a strike to Rajat Patidar who was batting aggressively at the other end.
“I think it’s a combination of things here. Yes, he was on an absolute high. But he dropped from 25 to 19 after the power play. But you have to remember that Patidar has gone crazy.” “Sometimes your job as a set batter is to make the game a little more intense and make Patidar bat as much as possible.” Finch said.
You can look at Virat Kohli in isolation – Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch explained that Virat Kohli’s performance may seem isolated but was crucial to the partnership with Patidar. He stressed the importance of thinking about their partnership and not just focusing on Kohli’s strike rate.
“You can look at it in isolation and say, ‘Yeah, it fell.’ But as a partnership it worked really well. Because the last thing you want when you’re on fire is to often be stuck on the non-striker’s side. He did the right thing by taking Patidar there. Finch added.
During the chase, opener Travis Head was sent off by Will Jacks in the first period. Abhishek Sharma scored 31 runs off 13 balls but failed to convert his start into a big score. Middle-order batters Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen were sent off for scoring in single digits in the match.
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed scored an unbeaten 40 runs. Karn Sharma was the standout bowler for RCB, picking up two wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. Swapnil Singh picked up the two crucial wickets in his first over, including Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen.