Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan wants former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli to play in the middle order for his side rather than opening the batting alongside Faf du Plessis. Kohli found no clue against Sunil Narine as he was clean bowled in their 2nd match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Speaking on Star Sports, cricket-turned-commentator Irfan Pathan urged the middle-order batters to contribute as Virat Kohli cannot win all the matches for the team in the cash-rich league. The RCB batters looked vulnerable against the spinners as Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma, and Sunil Narine combined to pick 9 wickets in their previous encounter.
“This year is looking different for RCB as runs are coming out of Virat Kohli’s bat in the first few games. But it is no guarantee that he will continue scoring at the same pace and win you every game,” Irfan Pathan said.
None of the middle batters stepped in during the run-chase against KKR, as their senior pros Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik failed to make an impact with the bat. Irfan Pathan feels it is important for the players to step up for the team in the defining moments.
“In a tournament like this, other batters in the RCB squad will have to be ready for the challenge and justify their talents and roles. Also, I don’t think Kohli should be opening the batting for RCB,” he added.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be without the services of Wanindu Hasaranga, and Josh Hazelwood for their encounter against Lucknow Super Giants, but they will be boosted by the arrival of new-signing Wayne Parnell, who replaced injured Reece Topley.
RCB’s Middle Order Looks Weak – Tom Moody
Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody believes it will important for the opponents to pick the wickets of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. He added it will be crucial for the visiting teams to pick their wickets inside the power play overs in a bid to put the Bangalore side straight away on the back foot.
“To me, RCB’s middle order looks weak, and teams will aim to take advantage of this fact and pick up the wickets of Kohli and Faf early. If the opposition teams manage to take a couple of wickets in the powerplays, they’ll be (very much) in the game against RCB,” Moody said.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will heavily depend on experienced Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik to come good in the forthcoming games to give them chance to move forward in the tournament as they will be without the services of Rajat Patidar and Will Jacks.
The Bangalore side will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their second home game at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium.