During their match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali on Thursday, April 20, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stand-in captain Virat Kohli and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell were captured on camera playing rock-paper-scissors. This incident occurred during a DRS review in the 11th over of PBKS’ run chase, when wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma was declared out LBW off Harshal Patel. Although the review was successful, Jitesh went on to play an excellent innings of 41 runs off 27 deliveries, but it wasn’t enough as RCB won the match by 24 runs, securing their third win in six games of the tournament.
A video of the amusing moment between Kohli and Maxwell can be found below.
Due to Faf du Plessis’ rib injury in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings, former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli resumed his captaincy for this match. Faf was included in the playing XI but was only designated to bat and was expected to be substituted during the fielding innings.
When PBKS skipper Sam Curran elected to field, Virat and Faf started strongly, putting together a partnership of 137 runs in 97 deliveries. Despite a slight hiccup from the middle order, the team managed to set a target of 174-4 in their allotted 20 overs on a dry, two-paced pitch.
Virat Kohli, leading RCB for the first time since the 2021 season, showcased his excellent form by scoring a magnificent 59 off 47 balls, featuring five fours and a six.
In response, PBKS struggled and were dismissed for just 150 runs in 18.2 overs, with Mohammed Siraj being the star performer with impressive figures of 4/21 in his four overs.
Virat Kohli after the win: “The table can’t define your team”
After securing a comfortable 24-run victory against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli was visibly pleased. Kohli acknowledged the contribution of regular captain Faf du Plessis, who scored 84 runs, allowing RCB to set a competitive total of 174-4 in their 20 overs.
During the post-match presentation, Kohli said
“The table can’t define your team. It’s towards game 13 or 14 we can try and focus on what we need to do. Faf batted really well on that pitch. Hisa innings ensured we had that 20-30 extra at the end. The pitch was very rough underneath, there was not enough water there I guess. The strategy was to bat deep to have a crack at 190.”
The stand-in captain attributed the impressive performance of the bowlers during the powerplay, but also recognized the importance of finishing off the innings when they had the opposition in a vulnerable position.
Virat Kohli further said:
“Told them (the bowlers) that the target was more than enough. Cannot afford to take the game deep, especially when they lost 6-7 wickets. The batting line ups are deeper, but we also have options in our bowling. At the halfway stage, the talk was to take the game to the opposition and you kind of break the game open when you pick up 4 wickets in the powerplay.”
Following their triumph, RCB re-entered the upper half of the points table. They are set to face Rajasthan Royals, who currently hold the top spot, in their upcoming game at Bengaluru on Sunday, April 23.