New 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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