"I thought this award, as much as... I mean, I don't know why I've been given it, to be honest."
Anchoring yet another successful chase with his well-calculated knock, batting star Virat Kohli says the strategy of him holding one end tight while others play in their usual aggressive style is working well for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB won their fifth away game in as many matches with Kohli scoring an unbeaten 73 off 54 balls in a chase of 158 against Punjab Kings. The win came less than 48 hours losing to the same opponents. Kohli shared a 103-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (61) to crush the hosts by seven wickets
Kohli asserted that he could remain the lynchpin of the team, around whom the other players could build their innings, as the great batsman scored his fourth half-century of the season, leading RCB to third place with 10 points from five wins.
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"I think Dev made the difference today; this award should go to him; I don't know why they gave it to me. I can accelerate, but I want to understand the strengths of the other players. Keeping one side up at the moment is working for us," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
It was Virat Kohli's unbeaten 73 off 54 balls - his record 67th IPL half-century - that powered RCB to their fifth consecutive win in New Chandigarh, just 36 hours after their third consecutive home loss to the same Punjab Kings.
Kohli said he would have given the award to "Dev" - Devdutt Padikkal - who has found form and consistency at No. 3 after returning to RCB, following two quiet seasons with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants.
We've positioned ourselves well. Dev (Padikkal) can play around me, maybe Rajat (Patidar) too. There's always the temptation to go down the same route. We know that in a run chase in T20 cricket, a single partnership is enough. If needed, I can accelerate," said Kohli, who now has 8,326 runs in the IPL and 322 runs in eight matches this season.
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After Phil Salt was dismissed in the first over with RCB chasing a target of 158, Kohli and Padikkal put on a 103-run stand to lead them to victory. The aggressive Padikkal scored 61 off 35 balls - his first half-century of the season - after his impressive knocks of 37 against Mumbai Indians and 27 against Chennai Super Kings, where he eased the pressure on Kohli after Salt's dismissal. "There have been many occasions when I felt I should have scored more quickly," Kohli said, crediting Padikkal's aggression. "But I think it was the understanding that if Salty doesn't get off to a good start, my role is to let the other players around me play accordingly.
"A very good auction for us. We got the team we wanted. They (the franchise owners) knew exactly who they wanted. It's turning out well. That was lacking in all the other seasons. You can see that intensity and drive," said Kohli, who captained RCB for several years.
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