Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar hailed Virat Kohli’s 67-run knock in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 12-run win over Mumbai Indians, noting that the right-hander’s intent to play lofted shots much earlier in the innings worked beautifully for him.
“The big difference over the last season and a half has been his intent to play lofted shots much earlier. Earlier, those lofted shots would come later in the innings, but now he’s looking to take risks from ball one, and that’s making a huge ifference. Bowlers who were prepared for his drives and flicks are now seeing the ball going over the infield for boundaries. That change in mindset has thrown the bowlers off, and it’s working beautifully for him,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar lauded Krunal’s performance while defending the score for RCB and said his bowling reminds him of one of the greatest Indian all-rounders, Vinoo Mankad.
“I’ve always admired him for the sharpness with which he plays his cricket and in his thinking. He makes up with his temperament for any minor deficiencies he might have — and frankly, he doesn’t have too many. He’s a fine batter and a clever bowler. When he bowls, he actually reminds me of how Vinoo Mankad used to be.
“Mankad wasn’t a huge turner of the ball, but he had subtle variations — line and length, changes of pace, occasional bounce, and even a high full toss kind of beamer. Krunal Pandya has that same kind of variety. No wonder the captain had the confidence to hand him the ball for the final over. That kind of trust speaks volumes,” said Gavaskar.
RCB have won three of their four games so far and are sitting third in the table. They will next play Delhi Capitals (DC) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 10.
