In the 20th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) emerged victorious over Delhi Capitals (DC). However, this match was not just a regular game, as it involved a face-off between two prominent figures of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly currently serves as the Director of Cricket in DC.
Tensions between the two former captains
It was just around a year ago when Kohli was abruptly removed as the ODI captain after resigning as the T20I skipper. This led to a disagreement between Kohli and Ganguly, who was then the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The two gave different statements about the captaincy controversy, and their relationship has not been cordial since then.
A recent incident confirmed that the tension between Kohli and Ganguly has not yet subsided. At the end of the match, both teams were going through the customary post-match handshakes. Kohli and Ganguly were standing in close proximity, but they did not shake hands with each other.
In the video that went viral on social media, Kohli can be seen shaking hands with DC head coach Ricky Ponting. Meanwhile, Ganguly broke the line and continued to shake hands with the rest of the RCB players and staff. Kohli noticed this and looked back twice before proceeding with the handshakes. The incident was captured on camera and quickly gained attention on social media.
Kohli registers third half century
In addition to leading his team to victory, Virat Kohli was named the Player of the Match for his impressive performance. Kohli opened the innings and scored 50 runs off 34 balls.
Reflecting on his innings, Kohli admitted that it was not an easy match. Kohli also expressed his disappointment at getting out to a full toss, as he had been playing exceptionally well.
Kohli further revealed that his plan was to score 30-35 runs off the next 10 balls after reaching his fifty. This is how he usually plays, and he believed that achieving this target would have helped his team reach a total of over 200 runs.
"One thing I mentioned to the guys in the change room that 175 was enough on this pitch. It slowed down considerably when the spinners came on. Even the balls to hit off the back foot off Kuldeep were holding up, unlike the other games we played. We did well to get to that score and had the belief it was enough. When I've played my best cricket, those are the balls I've put away consistently (length balls on the up). That helps me to put pressure on the bowlers.
"When I put away their best balls, they're going to try to do something else. I back myself to hit good balls and the best bowlers in the opposition. That's how I motivate myself to play out there. Very happy to get two points. We kind of let it slip away last two games. For us to bounce back like this was very crucial. That was a different mentality and phase altogether (T20 World Cup 2016 semis). I was in a space where I felt I could hit any ball. I back myself to hit good shots. When they come off they look good," Kohli said at the presentation ceremony.
