Over the years, Indian Premier League debates have been dominated by Royal Challengers Bangalore. A side captained by Virat Kohli with AB de Villiers, a long-time partner in the power-batting stakes, is no surprise.
Not winning the title in 12 seasons means that, despite his weighty contributions season after season, these discussions inevitably include the Indian skipper.
In their first game on Monday, RCB took on Sunrisers Hyderabad with high anticipation of how the team that finished last in the league table twice and sixth in between will tackle the new season in the last three years.
And David Warner got fast answers by choosing to bowl. Challengers scored 163/5, and in 19.4 overs, Sunrisers had one mishap after another before he was bowled out for 153.
The pitch chosen for the Dubai International Stadium was the same as Delhi Capitals beating Kings XI Punjab on Sunday after a Super Over. That indicated a slower track, and it was anticipated that Kohli would open with Aaron Finch.
It’s tough to keep Kohli from batting even in a packed season. He had waited for 202 days for a game because of Covid-19, having last played within Christchurch Test which ended on March 2.
However, after frustrations in 2019, the RCB skipper spoke of a new strategy and showed that patience was one of them.
Didn’t open Kohli. Instead, after topping the 2018-19 one-day Vijay Hazare and T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali batting charts, Karnataka opener Devdutt Padikkal, 20, picked in the player auctions, came in.
Padikkal displayed great assurance, putting away deliveries on both sides of the wicket and also playing fluent drives. The Australian ODI skipper appreciated his 42-ball 56 on IPL debut, who let the young domestic batsman grab the first strike and conquer.
Padikkal sped ahead of Finch while SRH typically struggled with close bowling. Australia’s due to injuries-prone all-rounder Mitch Marsh, after being selected ahead of Kane Williamson, twisted his ankle bowling his first over to add to their woes.
Though he had cashed in and ticked team plans with a 90-run stand with Finch (29), Padikkal, who twice avoided being caught, was bowled by Vijay Shankar going all out in attack. Kohli and de Villiers were together, with young left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma eliminating Finch’s next ball.
Kohli ran between old wickets but lofted a slow ball by left-arm seamer T Natarajan to midwicket on 14, while de Villiers put on a display to smash a 30-ball 51 to ensure a strong number.
In the death overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and leg-spinner Rashid Khan ensured that the total didn’t get too far, but the day only became more difficult after skipper David Warner (6) ran out of backing too much in the second over, bowler Umesh Yadav is trying to deflect the ball to the stumps.
Last year, Jonny Bairstow had scored heavily at Warner’s firm. Prior to landing, he had scored a century against Australia in the last ODI. He and Manish Pandey did not take unnecessary risks, indicating that as the UAE pitches begin to slow down, going all out would become less of an option.
In the past, bowling by the RCB was inconsistent, but not on Monday. Before Pandey (34) holed out leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Finch dropped Bairstow at the cover on 40 to end a 71-run stand, which turned the tide.
Dale Steyn and Padikkal missed Bairstow (61- 43b), but Chahal bowled him and Vijay Shankar off consecutive balls as six wickets for 22 runs fell.
Young Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma were nervous, and after a mid-pitch collision, the latter ran out, leaving Rashid Khan in a daze. Before the wounded Marsh got trapped swinging one-handed, Navdeep Saini took two in just one over.
