Virat Kohli is currently taking on the Chennai Super Kings bowling attack at the Chepauk. CSK won the toss and opted to field first. RCB are heading into this game after winning their season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the match against CSK however, it was the spinners who are expected to defind the momentum of the game. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad form the spin-bowling core of the side.
Noor already picked up four wickets in the first match against MI and was the one who provided CSK the first breakthrough. He got Phil Salt (32 runs off 16 balls) stumped.
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After Salt's dismissal, there was a moment in the game when Kohli had a 31-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal (27 runs off 14 balls). He was dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin. After Padikkal's dismissal in the 9th over, Kohli was dismissed in the 13th over.
In a quest to score quick runs, Kohli fell to Noor Ahmad trying to slog sweep and getting caught at the square-leg boundary. Rachin Ravindra took his catch finally after Deepak Hooda dropped a dolly off Rajat Patidar.
Virat Kohli Capable To Taking Down Ashwin, Jadeja - Cheteshwar Pujara
Before the match started, Cheteshwar Pujara in a discussion with Star Sports, said that Kohli is completely capable of dominating the CSK spinners.
“Virat is someone who is capable enough of taking down, whether it’s Ashwin or Jadeja. He is probably one of the best players of spin,” Pujara said in an interview. “Maybe not in this format if you look at just the numbers, but he is a quality player. I think if he can lead from the front and utilize that power play, and if RCB can get close to 60-70 in the first six, then they set up a good base for them,” he stated.
Pujara suggested Kohli to be his aggressive self against the spinners. However, in looking to be too aggressive, he lost his wicket that pegged back the RCB run-rate on a slowish Chepauk wicket.
“If they bat first, they need to be aggressive. They need to utilize their power play really well. I would insist that Virat shouldn’t be changing his game, since he is looking like a different player,” Pujara said.
Pujara did say in his interaction that Kohli had to be a bit cautious at the start of his innings. The former RCB skipper scored 31 runs off 30 balls and took on Matheesha Pathirana before he was finally dismissed by Noor.
“I do agree that he has to be a bit cautious at Chepauk, but at the same time it’s not easy for a batter to change overnight. There has been a lot of talk about the way Virat bats in the IPL. And the way he is batting now, he is looking like a different player. So, I don’t think his approach should change in this particular game,” Pujara added.
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