Kohli, Unadkat guide RCB to thrilling 4-run win over Delhi

May 11, 2013

RCB_to_thrillingNew Delhi, May 11: One just got the feeling that it was going to be Virat Kohli's night on Friday. There is a familiar swagger to the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper's footsteps when he comes out to bat at the Feroz Shah Kotla. And why shouldn't it be like that? After all, Kohli has learnt most of his trade at this very ground.

Kohli was almost 'Gaylesque' as he smashed his way to 99 off 58 deliveries (4x6, 10x4) to help RCB post 183 for 4 after being invited to bat first by the new Delhi Daredevils skipper David Warner.

After taking 44 balls to reach his fifty, Kohli blasted his next 49 runs off just 14 balls courtesy four sixes and four boundaries and was unlucky to be run-out going for a second off the last ball of the innings which would have given him a well deserved century.

The Daredevils tried their best to make a match of it but fell short by a mere four runs. Thus, RCB's hopes of qualifying for the Playoffs got a big boost.

The home side made a fight of it through Unmukt Chand (41, 35b, 4x4, 1x6) and Ben Rohrer (32, 27b, 4x4) but it was the late assault by Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel which sent shivers down RCB's spine

In the end, it was Jaydev Unadkat (5/25) - drafted into the side in place of RP Singh - who held his nerve in the final over (with 19 needed) after picking up the big scalps of Virender Sehwag (18) and Mahela Jayawardene (19) earlier.

As regular skipper Jayawardene will be forced to sit out Daredevils' next outing in Chennai, Warner was given the reigns to get used to the job but that had no effect on Delhi's fortunes. It was their 10th loss of the tournament.

Even luck was on Kohli's side. The very first ball he faced could have been his last as he edged Morne Morkel to the 'keeper only for the bowler to overstep the line marginally.

A change of willow was required the very next ball when is bat cracked but the third ball went screaming off the middle of the bat to the midwicket boundary.

If that wasn't all, the RCB skipper was offered another lifeline by Delhi teammate Sehwag, who spilled a relatively easy offering at short mid-wicket when Kohli was just 14 with Siddharth Kaul being the unfortunate bowler.

Delhiites had come out in droves in spite of the fact that Daredevils are already out of the race. That was to watch one man - Chris Gayle. The West Indian opener though lasted just six balls before dragging an Irfan Pathan delivery back on to the stumps.

The fireworks were provided by Kohli and the 'super-innovator' AB de Villiers (32 n.o., 17b, 2x4, 2x6). The shot of the innings was De Villiers paddle-sweeping his South African counterpart Morkel over fine-leg for six.

Kohli, taking AB's cue, exploded in the 18th over bowled by Umesh Yadav - smashing the speedster for two sixes and a four in an over which cost 24 runs. Yadav, in fact, went for a staggering 65 in his four overs.

Daredevils had some control over the match till the 15th over as RCB reached 99/3 but there was carnage after that. Kohli and AB were on fire and added 94 runs off just 40 balls. The last five overs of the innings yielded 84 runs and the Daredevils had their backs to the walls yet again.

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February 4,2020

Feb 4: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday said the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash has impacted his outlook towards life, which he feels, is sometimes taken for granted in pursuit of control over the future.

Bryant, a two-time Olympic gold-medallist and one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash last month along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was also a budding hoopster.

"Firstly, it was a shock to everyone. I grew up watching those NBA games in the morning and watching what he did on court. But when someone that you have looked up to in some ways, passes away like that, it does put things in perspective," Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against New Zealand here.

"...at the end of the day, life can be so fickle. It's so unpredictable. I think a lot of the times we get too caught up in the pressures of what we have to do tomorrow...we really forget living life and enjoying life and just appreciating and being grateful for the life we have," he added.

Kohli said a tragedy like this makes one realise that nothing can be more important than enjoying every moment of existence.

"...it did put things in perspective for me massively. It just makes you feel like not wanting to have control of things in front of you all the time, and just embracing life and appreciating it.

"You start looking at things from a different point of view suddenly and you want to enjoy every moment you're going through. You realise that what you're doing at the end of the day is not the most important thing. The most important thing is life itself," Kohli signed off.

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May 14,2020

May 14: Veteran South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has proposed a two-week isolation period for players before and after the T20 World Cup as a way to stage the event as per schedule later this year.

Like other sports, cricketing action too has come to a complete halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. The fate of the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October-November is shrouded in uncertainty.

Talking to Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal, du Plessis said travel was going to be an issue despite Australia being less affected by the deadly contagion.

"I am not sure... reading that travelling is going to be an issue for lot of countries and they are talking about December or January. Even if Australia is not affected like other countries, to get people from Bangladesh, South Africa or India where there is more danger, obviously it's a health risk to them," du Plessis said.

"But you can go in before the tournament (for) two weeks isolation and then play the tournament and afterwards two weeks isolation," said the former captain.

Several countries across the globe, including South Africa, Australia and India, have travel restrictions in place and the veteran Proteas batsman joked travelling by boat is not an option.

"But I don't know when South Africa will open their travel ban because we can't go there like old days on boats," du Plessis said.

In March, South Africa's ODI series against India was called off after the first match in view of the pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 44 lakh people worldwide while causing close to 3 lakh deaths.

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January 28,2020

Gibraltar, Jan 28: Young Indian Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa pulled off a huge upset, beating former world champion Veselin Topalov in the sixth round of the 18th Gibraltar chess festival to record his fifth straight win here.

The 14-year-old Chennai lad needed just 33 moves to put it across the Bulgarian. He had started with a loss against compatriot P V Nandhidhaa but since then he has been on a winning spree.

Praggnanandhaa, who recently won the world under-18 title, said: "It was very tough to prepare against him."

He is in second spot on five points with six other players and will take on Chinese GM Wang Hao in the seventh round.

Seventeen-year-old Russian GM Andrey Esipenko jumped to sole lead with 5.5 points with a win over Georgia's Ivan Cheparinov

The Russian player would be unpaired in the seventh round as he decided to take a bye.

A bunch of players including Indians — B Adhiban, K Sasikiran, Shardul Gagare, Karthikeyan Murali, SL Narayanan — are in joint third place with 4.5 points.

Adhiban beat Gabriel Flom, while D Gukesh, the world's second youngest Grand Master ever, defeated Martin Percivaldi to move to four points.

Also winning were Karthikeyan Murali against Qi B Chen and Gagare over France's Maxime Lagarde.

Top-seed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's moderate run continued as he was held to a draw by GM Aryan Chopra.

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