Virat Kohli Provides Grim Health Update After Guiding RCB To Win: "For Four, Five Days Now"
Virat Kohli, after a rather slow knock against Mumbai Indians, showed early signs of being back to his elements as he guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants
- Virat Kohli scored 49 off 38 balls in RCB's five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants
- Kohli's strike rate improved to 144.12 compared to his previous match against Mumbai Indians
- He admitted to not being fully fit due to a sore knee and illness affecting his form
Virat Kohli, after a rather slow knock against Mumbai Indians, showed early signs of being back to his elements as he guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants while chasing a 147-run target in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The former RCB captain slammed six fours and one six on his way to scoring 49 off 34 balls. Though he missed out on a half-century, his strike rate of 144.12 was better than what it was against Mumbai Indians on Sunday - 131.58 (50 off 38 balls). Kohli admitted that he is not 100 per cent fit and that it is hampering him.
"Much better than the last game. I am still not 100 per cent. My knee was a bit sore last game. Even health-wise, I've been under the weather for four or five days now. So, just getting back up to my best. I started off well today, so I was happy with my intensity. Again, would have liked to carry on and finish the game off," Kohli said after RCB beat LSG.
"Sometimes you have to take the conditions into account as well. The pitch slowed down considerably and I just wanted to probably keep going in the same manner. But yeah, in the end, I should have probably finished that one off as well."
What About Bengaluru Pitch?
Overall, Kohli was satisfied that he was able to ensure RCB did not have any early jitters while chasing a low target like 147.
"Yeah, it (the pitch) was slower than normal. If you saw, there was not enough grass on it. The last three to four days have been very, very hot. It's been very dry as well. So, we thought it was going to be a dry, slow wicket rather than one of those tacky ones we usually get when we play at the Chinnaswamy. It was different, and hence the idea was to push the game away from the opposition in the first five to six overs.
"For those reasons, the powerplay batting was important, and that's why I was happy with my approach today. I was able to put the team in front early on," he said.
Virat Kohli
Mumbai Indians
Royal Challengers Bengaluru