Published 20:38 IST, October 17th 2020
IPL 2020: Virat Kohli heaps praises over AB de Villiers after the latter rattled Rajasthan
Skipper Virat Kohli lauded the swashbuckling South African AB de Villiers and termed him to be the 'most impactful player' in IPL
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After AB de Villiers rattled Rajasthan with his 22-ball 55 in a Dream 11 IPL match on Saturday, Skipper Virat Kohli lauded the swashbuckling South African and termed him to be the 'most impactful player' IPL. Bangalore got their campaign back on track with a spectacular seven-wicket win against Rajasthan.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kohli credited the young players in the team and further said the team will be sticking to our plans.
"Very happy right now because after this we get three days off. To be honest, you're always tense in chase because you're not sure how many balls AB is going to get. Credit to Gurkeerat as well, he stuck with AB, got that important boundary. It doesn't matter who the bowler is, he does what he does. AB has always been someone who's been ready to look at the situation and adapt his game accordingly. In my eyes he's the most impactful player in the IPL. If he goes, the opposition know they have a slim chance and there's a good reason for that. No our game pattern is very clear. Young Dev has batted beautifully, finchy has played some impact innings. We understand the dynamics and we're sticking to our plans," said Kohli.
AB de Villiers adjudged man of the match
The Bangalore batsmen overhauled Rajasthan’s 177-6 with two balls to spare. Coming in to bat at No. 4, AB de Villiers scored a sparkling 55* off just 22 balls in an enterprising inning laced with a boundary and six maximums. Speaking about his knock, de Villiers said that he wanted to perform for the team and show the owners that he is here for a good reason.
"Extremely happy. Virat and I spoke that we string together some partnerships and then go ahead. I'm very very nervous and erratic [in chase] and I get very stressed like any player. I want to perform for the team and show the owners I'm here for a good reason. And family, fans, and also for myself. Last game I didn't perform my role as well as I should have, but this time I did. It's a cat and mouse game, I always respect the bowlers. If they bowl well to me, they'll have the upper hand. I didn't hit even one of them [sixes] off the middle. When Unadkat was bowling, I was looking leg side but to be honest I was nervous because I knew I had to hit it well. Luckily I got a few away. we've had some good games and we've had some average games as well, let's not kid ourselves. There's a reason we're not at the top of the table," said de Villiers.
20:38 IST, October 17th 2020