Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli lavished rich praise on Devdutt Padikkal, who scored his maiden IPL ton and helped the team register a thumping win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League clash here at the Wankhede on Thursday evening. Padikkal's unbeaten 101 and Kohli's 72 not out helped RCB beat Rajasthan by 10 wickets, thus registering their fourth straight win in the ongoing tournament.
"It was an outstanding inning. He (Padikkal) batted really well for his first season last time. There was a lot of talk about him not accelerating after getting to his 30s. He's put all that to rest. It was a good pitch to bat on, to be honest, and him being tall meant that bowlers struggled with their lengths. T20 cricket is always about partnerships," Kohli said at the post-match presentation.
When asked about his own knock, Kohli said, "You can't always go big from the word go. When one guy is going well, it's important for me to ensure that I don't lose my wicket. It can change on other days."
"We spoke about it (on the 100). He told me to finish it off, I told him to get to it first. He said many will come, I said yeah you can say that after you get to the landmark. He deserved to get the three-figure mark," he added.
Chasing 178, RCB got across the line in 16.3 overs to go back at the top of the points table.
Kohli also credited the bowlers for restricting the opponents to a below-par score. "We don't have standout names (in bowling) but we have effective ones. We have depth in our bowling. They are professionals.
We have taken the most wickets in the death overs this season so far and it's something we take pride in. Dev's innings was a great one but I'd also like to credit the bowlers for setting it up. (to the fans) I'd say don't be overexcited. We're being professional. We're moving in the right direction," Kohli said. RCB will next take on Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
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