Former India and Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis lit up the Bangalore vs Mumbai game on April 2. Batting first, the five-time winners, Mumbai amassed 171/7, thanks to Tilak Varma’s 84 not out. Apart from him, Nehal Wadhera (21) and Arshad Khan (15*) played cameos to take the team to such a total. However, it wasn’t going to be enough given the pitch and Mumbai’s bowling attack.
In reply, Bangalore’s opening pair, Du Plessis and Kohli put together a partnership of 148 runs in just 14.5 overs. The former got out after scoring 73 off 43 balls including five fours and six sixes. On the other hand, Kohli stayed till and finished off the game by a six over long-on. Notably, 12 years ago, on the same day, the former India skipper MS Dhoni hit the winning shot over long on for a six.
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Dhoni Finishes of in style to Kohli finishes of in style. It's being 12 years. Thank you for this wonderful night King @imVkohli #RCBvsMI #ViratKohli?pic.twitter.com/8vkFhPKeJi
— Mayur (@133_AT_Hobart) April 2, 2023
We backed ourselves throughout the game: Virat Kohli
Meanwhile, the three-time finalists won the game by eight wickets and 3.4 overs to spare. Thanks to this win, their NRR is now (1.981). On the other hand, the team played their first game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium after the 2019 season. Former skipper Virat said it was a homecoming after many years and a phenomenal win.
“Phenomenal win. Homecoming after so many years. Credit to their batters for getting to that score. Tilak batted well. We kept backing ourselves. Faf went first, and I joined later. I am very happy with how things went today. The new ball was a bit tricky, but we shifted the momentum by taking them down with the new ball. We nullified all their intensity.
“The wicket was quite a nice one. We hit good areas and kept putting pressure on the bowlers. [Crowd] Phenomenal, was a packed crowd. Every seat was full and we knew we would get a lot of support. We just ride off that intensity from the crowd They were right behind us,” Virat Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
