IPL 2022 | Virat Kohli was playing like his vintage version, opines Aakash Chopra
Virat Kohli played a crucial knock against Punjab Kings
|Aakash Chopra has said that Virat Kohli was playing like his old self in the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings on Sunday. Kohli scored unbeaten 41 runs from 29 balls playing a crucial role in team total of 205/2 along with Faf Du Plessis who scored a half-century.
IPL 2022 has been exciting so far with some great cricketing action on display. Punjab Kings started their campaign with a winning note beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets. RCB were playing their first match under the leadership of Faf Du Plessis.Ā
Batting first, RCB posted a huge total of 205/2. Faf Du Plessis scored 88 runs from 57 balls. Virat Kohli also played a key role in the innings scoring unbeaten 41 runs from 29 balls staying at the crease till the end hitting a boundary and two sixes. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Virat Kohli was playing like his old self against Punjab Kings.
"He looked good. This was like that old vintage Virat Kohli. He started with a bang and that's what he can do whenever he wants. He took on Brar. The last time he had issues, he was dismissed. He hit him for a six. He hit the boundaries and then took a backseat," Chopra told Star Sports.
"Not that he was not scoring quickly enough. It's just that he realised that he had to play the supporting role to Faf du Plessis. He understood that 'I may have been the hero in many a movie, but right now I have to play the role of a hero's brother.ā
"He let Faf du Plessis take centre stage but he was right till the end, he scored at close to 150. He was scoring at a fair clip but wasn't really greedy to get onto the strike as quickly as possible.ā
Sanjay Bangar is the head coach of RCB and he has worked in the past with Virat Kohli. The two of them worked together as Bangar was Indiaās batting coach until the 2019 World Cup and has also worked with RCB in the past. Chopra said that the chemistry between these two brings the best out of Virat Kohli.
"I am delighted to see this Virat Kohli because, for the last six months, we have seen a different sort of Virat Kohli. He was in one mood - to defend everything. There was a process that he followed all this while and he is back to that now. There is something about Sanjay Bangar and Virat Kohli. There is some chemistry there that brings the best out of Kohli," he explained.Ā
RCB will play their next game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
