Royal Challengers Bengaluru's thrashing by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru on Friday prompted former Australia cricketer Tom Moody to blame Virat Kohli's fellow-batters for the humbling defeat.
"It is not like he (Kohli) had the other end operating at the same tempo as him. The only time that was happening was when (Cameron) Green was at the crease and that was looking really threatening.
“Green was striking at 150 at that point. So that looked like a 200-plus position. But then the adjustments were made," said Moody on an ESPNCricinfo video.
Following a scintillating batting display, Kolkata Knight Riders beat RCB by seven wickets and became the first team to win away from home this IPL season.
Moody said only Green matched Kohli’s tempo while batting.
Former New Zealand and Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell McClenaghan lauded Kohli for making adjustments in his batting according to the pitch conditions.
"There was a period when his strike rate (Kohli’s) was coming down and it could have affected RCB in reaching a defendable total.
"Then you saw Virat missing a couple of balls, which is very unlike him. The wicket was getting difficult to bat on, so to make that adjustment and be able to go at the back-end was good to see. He absorbed the pressure and came out on the other side," said McClenaghan.
Winning the toss, KKR opted to field. RCB lost skipper Faf du Plessis early, but Kohli was involved a 65-run partnership with Green (33 off 21 balls; four boundaries and two sixes) and a 42-run stand with Glenn Maxwell (28 off 19 balls; three fours and a six).
Kohli ended up undefeated on 83 off 59 balls, inclusive of four boundaries and as many sixes, and Dinesh Karthik (20 not out off eight balls) as RCB put up 182 for 6..
Andre Russell (2/29) and Harshit Rana (2/39) were the pick of KKR’s bowlers.
In the run-chase, Phil Salt (30 off 20 balls; two fours and two sixes) and Sunil Narine (47 off 22; two fours and five sixes) gave KKR a fine start in an 86-run stand off 39 balls.
Vysakh Vijayakumar and Mayank Dagar (1/23 each) dismissed the openers, but Venkatesh Iyer (50 not out off 30 balls; three fours and four sixes) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (39 in 24 balls; two fours and two sixes) guided KKR home with 19 balls to spare.
Making his 500th appearance in the T20 format, Narine was adjudged 'Player of the Match'.
RCB lie in sixth place in the points table after a win and two defeats. KKR are second in the table after two wins from as many games.
