Virat Kohli defends shock move of demoting AB de Villiers by saying 'It didn't come off'

Bangalore and Punjab played out a thrilling match on Friday which went down to the wire. It was Punjab who held their nerves and emerged victorious on the last ball off the game. With just one run required off the final ball, Nicholas Pooran smashed a six as they chased down a target of 172 in 20 overs. 

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Bangalore vs Punjab result: Virat Kohli opens up on decision to demote AB de Villiers

Earlier, Bangalore opted to bat first after winning the toss. Virat Kohli's men got off to a flyer as Bangalore's openers took on Punjab bowlers from the word go. However, Bangalore lost both the openers in quick succession and everyone expected Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to guide the team to a big total.

But the Bangalore think tank surprised everyone by altering the batting order as they promoted Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube ahead of AB de Villiers. This move raised a lot of eyebrows as fans questioned the intention behind demoting AB de Villiers, who had recently played a match-winning knock of 73 off 33 balls against Kolkata.

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After the Bangalore-Punjab game was done and dusted, Virat Kohli was asked about the decision to promote Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube ahead of AB de Villiers. The Bangalore skipper responded saying that the management had a discussion about the left-hand, right-hand combination which is why AB de Villiers was sent in at No. 6. However, Kohli acknowledged it was his decision and added that sometimes these decisions taken, don’t come off. 

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Virat Kohli further said that 170 was a decent target. The 31-year old reckoned that the message to Sundar and Dube was to go after the bowling attack and hit big shots but they weren't able to put the opposition under pressure. Virat Kohli stated that they take a lot of pride as a bowling side, but Thursday was not one of those nights as nothing worked out for them.

Meanwhile, the Bangalore vs Punjab result might not have gone Kohli's way, however, they will look to bounce back in the next game. Bangalore will now take on Rajasthan in Match 33 of the Dream11 IPL 2020 on Saturday, October 17 in Dubai. The Rajasthan vs Bangalore live action will kick-off at 3:30 PM (IST).

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SOURCE: BANGALORE IPL TEAM INSTAGRAM