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| My beard is already greying, says Virat Kohli after last-over victory against DD. New Delhi : The Royal Challengers Bangalore rode on a brilliantly crafted knock by skipper Virat Kohli to sneak past a spirited Delhi Daredevils by four runs at the Kotla in Delhi in an IPL6 match on Friday. Delhi’s reply of 179/7 saw the visitors seal an important win in their quest for a play-offs spot and put them on par with Mumbai Indians at 16 points apiece in the points table. Kohli’s 99 off 58, his last 49 coming from just 14 balls, gave the hosts an imposing target to achieve as RCB finished at 183/4 from their 20 overs. Delhi making a fight of it on a pitch which has been of a low scoring nature hinged largely on their star batsman. But yet again, as has been the trend this season, they failed to deliver. RCB pacer Jayadev Unadkat chose to share the limelight with his skipper Kohli, returning with an impressive haul of 5/25, including the top three Delhi batsmen. With Mahela Jaywardene, Virender Sehwag and skipper David Warner back in the dug-out by the seventh over, with 60 on board, the contest was very much in RCB’s grasp. Youngster Unmukt Chand chose to play out to register his best score of the season (44) but never looked threatening to take his team close to the target. However, Delhi tailenders Irfan Pathan ( 23 off 11) and Morne Morkel (19 off 10), towards the end, gave RCB some nervous moments bringing the equation down to 19 off the last six balls, which proved five runs off the target for the hosts. Earlier, Kohli scored a whirlwind 99 off 58 balls as Bangalore posted 183 for four in 20 overs. Daredevils got the kind of start they needed under the new skipper David Warner — the first over by Morne Morkel costing them only a single but more importantly, the second one, bringing the end of a dangerous Chris Gayle cheaply. After defending an Irfan Pathan delivery on the backfoot which raced away to the long on boundary, Gayle chased the next one outside the off, pulling it back onto his stumps. Morkel induced an edge off Kohli's bat in the next over but the delivery was declared a no ball by the umpire. The RCB skipper was to get another life in the seventh over, dropped by Virender Sehwag off Siddarth Kaul at short midwicket, denying the youngster his second wicket in the match. And Kohli made Delhi pay with a brilliantly placed innings of 99 from 58 balls including ten boundaries and four sixes. Kohli’s partner Cheteshwar Pujara, at the other end, began slowly, even escaping a caught behind in the third over, but his urge to force the pace of the game brought his downfall in the fifth over, bowled by Kaul, as RCB finished the powerplay at 40/2. After Pujara’s departure, the Kohli-Moises Henriques combine showed discipline in constructing a partnership. Kohli, however, missed a deserving century getting run out for 99 in the final delivery of the innings."I thought I was gone, until I saw the umpire's arm. It was my lucky day but yet another nerve-wracking finish for us," he added. Source : DC |
