RCB vs MI IPL 2023: Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis show RCB means business | Cricket News – Times of India

BENGALURU: Mumbai Indians pacer Jason Behrendorff, coming in as an impact player, managed to keep Royal Challengers Bangalore openers Faf du Plessis (73) and Virat Kohli (82 n.o) quiet only for an over, his first.
Kohli, with a fine flick of Arshad Khan’s in-swinger, began an assault that left Mumbai bowlers bewildered. At the packed-to-the-rafters M Chinnaswamy stadium, the home team’s eight-wicket victory on Sunday night was a dream campaign opener. While the bowling at the death remained a concern, RCB will take heart from their openers’ ruthless show of power hitting.
Du Plessis found rhythm in Behrendorff’s third over, dispatching him for a boundary and two consecutive maximums which looked effortless. The 148-run opening association was highlighted by the versatility of the experienced superstars. Kohli took some time to get his eye in before assuming command.

“It was a very comprehensive win and we wanted to win with balls to spare as it will help our NRR. The new ball was tricky but that’s where we shifted the momentum. They could have ridden on that momentum from the last two overs of their batting but the way we started nullified all that. We kept the pressure on the bowlers,” said Kohli at the presentation ceremony.
Du Plessis, who retired from red-ball cricket, hasn’t played for his country for the past two years. But in the intervening period, he’s played franchise cricket in the Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, T10 League, Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, The Hundred, Big Bash and SA20 tournament. The 38-year-old’s experience of playing in varied conditions and facing different bowlers showed in his form on Sunday.

Deservingly named the player of the match, Du Plessis said, “Nice to start the way we did. That second innings, if you want to know how to chase a target, that’s how you do it. If you took the pace off the ball, it wasn’t too easy to play and there was something in it for the spinners but as a batter if you got into good positions, you could score runs.”
The South African added: “It was my first time playing here as a home player. I still work hard to be able to move around like I did in my younger days.”
Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond, at the post-match conference, admitted to his team’s shortcomings. “I think 170 runs on such a small ground is not great. I think if we went 190-plus we had a chance. Then we weren’t as accurate with the ball as we needed to be,” he said.