Brendon McCullum praises Kohli and AB De Villiers

May 14, 2016 at 11:04 PM

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Brendon McCullum praises Kohli and AB De Villiers

It was just a mere formality in the second innings, as after posting a humungous 248-3 on board, the Royal Challengers had already won the game! Things panned out to be extremely one sided in Gujarat’s chase, as without their regular skipper Suresh Raina, the team struggled miserably in the run chase. The Lions could only manage a paltry 104 on board, as they crashed to the heaviest defeat in IPL history.

 

The match though, will be best known for the extraordinary heroics of AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli, two of the greatest batsmen on earth currently by a mile. De Villiers and Kohli complemented each other really well as both the destructive machines brought up their tons in some serious style. Their 229 runs stand was the highest partnership in T20 history, and it definitely was a pleasing sight for all viewers.

 

In the post match presentation, stand in Lions skipper Brendon McCullum was fully in awe of the duo. “We were pretty happy to bowl first. We started well, but we had two guys, world-class players, who played two of the greatest innings in T20 history together. It’s frustraing from our point of view, but at the same time it was incredible to watch as a fan. We tried different plans, but when someone plays like that, it’s hard to stop,” said McCullum.

 

McCullum sounded optimistic and said that his side would definitely look to improve in the games to follow. “We have to get back to winning ways and make the play-offs. We also need to go to the play-offs with a lot of confidence. It was one team that turned up today and played great cricket. Hopefully we’ll be better in the next game,” said McCullum.

 

Royal Challengers skipper Virat Kohli was delighted with the win, and spoke about his strategy of ensuring that the net run rate was in check. “Was a good feeling in the dressing room, our preparation was good. We don’t want to push ourselves too much. We know we are a good batting unit. Today was just one of those days we just do what we know best. We played smart cricket. At the halfway mark, we just gave the guys 170 runs to defend, because that will help our net run-rate,” said Kohli.

 

In a rather humorous chat, Man of the Match AB De Villiers admitted that his wife was his lucky charm today. “Actually, I didn’t feel too good in the beginning, it was difficult to time the ball initially. My secret’s very simple – my wife is here to watch. A lot of things played a role today, I walked out there feeling scareless, no fear of losing my wicket. Virat and I made good decisions while batting and assessed things very well and we accelerated very well at the end,” De Villiers said.

“I hate facing dot balls in T20s and I’m disappointing with the ones today (dots against Jadeja). Jaddu bowled very well today. It’s about playing the right shots at the right time, it wasn’t just about the boundaries. I’m really angry for facing those dot balls today,” said a delighted De Villiers.

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