Virat Kohli explains why he chose himself and AB de Villiers in IPL 2020 Super Over vs MI

The IPL 2020 clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians saw a pulsating encounter between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s side. AB de Villiers blasted an aggressive fifty and superb knocks from Devdutt Padikkal and Shivam Dube helped Royal Challengers Bangalore reach 201/3. In response, Ishan Kishan’s brilliant 99 and his 119-run stand with Kieron Pollard, who hit 60 off 24 balls helped Mumbai Indians level the score. In the Super Over, Mumbai Indians managed just seven runs and Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to chase the target down on the last ball.

In the Super Over, Royal Challengers Bangalore chose Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to tackle Jasprit Bumrah and they managed to do it successfully. Kohli has been in poor form in IPL 2020 but he still went ahead to partner de Villiers and the reason given was interesting.

“I thought about who are the best guys to come back for twos and it was me and AB. It was all about stepping onto the field and taking responsibility,” Kohli said.

‘Fielding needs work’

In the final three overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore did not make their task any easier with Pawan Negi and Gurkeerat Singh dropping catches off Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard. Fielding has been a major issue for Virat Kohli’s team, having dropped KL Rahul twice in the game against Kings XI Punjab. Kohli admitted that this was one area that they needed to work on as the tournament progressed.

“It went down to the wire, we tried to execute the things we wanted to. We've got a close victory and these little things on the field, we really want to focus on it. Fielding is something we need to work on. If we'd taken our chances, it wouldn't have been so close,” Kohli said.

However, during the carnage that Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard unleashed on Royal Challengers Bangalore, Navdeep Saini held his own. Pollard and Kishan blasted 27 and 22 runs respectively off Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal but Saini conceded just 12 runs thanks to his yorkers and accuracy. In the Super Over, Saini restricted the likes of Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to just seven runs as Royal Challengers Bangalore were boosted.

Kohli paid high tribute to Saini for his outstanding skill. “Outstanding Super Over from him (Saini). He used the yorkers and wide balls to good effect. This should boost us going forward,” Kohli said. But, the highest praise came for AB de Villiers, who tackled Jasprit Bumrah brilliantly and Kohli wished he was like ABD.

“I wish I was AB to be honest (chuckles). He was coming after a long break. The way he batted and some of the shots he played was outstanding. Getting stuck into the bowlers and only he can do that best. He keeps things simple and doesn't watch a lot of cricket. Enjoys his life and comes out here, backs his ability. He's relaxed and that's exactly what we want from him,” Kohli said.