IPL 2019: Refreshed Virat Kohli reveals what ‘really hurt’ RCB
"We know our home ground pretty well. It hasn't been a great hunting ground at the start, but if we can keep going with this momentum, we'll do well," Virat Kohli said after RCB defeated KXIP in an IPL 2019 match in Bengaluru on Wednesday
FollowBengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday (April 24) said that losing half a dozen matches at a stretch did hurt his team and further went on to say that the players have now decided to enjoy the game and not take any pressure.
In the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2019), RCB beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 17 runs to keep slim chances of making the playoffs alive.
"The only focus was to play well as a team. Losing six in a row really hurt us. No one in the team has been part of such a streak. So we just refreshed, thought about just enjoying ourselves and the important thing now is not to take on any pressure," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony on Wednesday night.
RCB have won four out of their last five games, and there is an outside chance of their playoff qualification if they can win the remaining three games.
"Yeah, we've won four of the five, but could have been five out of five. We were looking to enjoy cricket and tonight was a great example of having fun. We know how we play. The world knows how we play," Kohli said.
Man-of-the-match AB de Villiers, who scored an unbeaten 82 off 44, credited RCB bowlers for winning the match for the team.
Also Read: IPL 2019: Navdeep Saini, AB de Villiers star in RCB's win over Kings XI Punjab
"I try to stay calm. It's not easy. Game is happening quickly. But you have your teammates around you to share the load (death-overs batting). We know our home ground pretty well. It hasn't been a great hunting ground at the start, but if we can keep going with this momentum, we'll do well. And you can see it, lots of smiles on the faces. I still thought the par score was 180. I actually felt it was 160, but it got better to bat in the second innings. So the boys bowled really well," said de Villiers.
KXIP captain Ravichandran Ashwin said his team failed to deal with the pressure moments.
"There can be so many places where we feel we lost the game. But at the end of the day, a T20 game is all about pressure moments, and we haven't been able to do that in the last few games," said Ashwin.
KXIP have lost four out of their last five matches, but Ashwin insisted that one win can change the course and his side can also get on a roll just like RCB.
On April 28, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals (DC) at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Out of 11 matches, the Capitals have won seven and lost four. The team has secured the second spot in the IPL points table whereas RCB have won four out of 11 matches and are at the seventh position.
