IPL 2021, Eliminator: Virat Kohli wins toss, opts to bat as Andre Russell misses out yet again

Virat Kohli will be eager to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on to a competitive total in this extremely crucial encounter.

Virat Kohli in a file photo; Credit: Twitter
By Arnab Mukherji | Oct 11, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to bat, after winning the toss in the Eliminator of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Kohli has gone in with an unchanged lineup for the encounter, which was definitely expected considering the thrilling win against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Bangalore-based franchise’s last league encounter. KKR have also not made any changes, which is a bit surprising considering the absence of Andre Russell who can be a game-changer on his day.

Kohli stated that his decision to bat was influenced by the great wicket.

“We are going to bat first, looks like a great wicket, nice and hard. It gets tougher to bat here in Sharjah as the game progresses. No changes. A youngster steps up and wins you a game against a top side like Delhi. Very happy for KS. This is what this tournament is all about. Meetings have been pretty short and sharp. We have the ability to win games, nothing changes this being an Eliminator,” he said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“Would have loved to bowl first”

Morgan expressed his happiness after being asked to bowl.

“We would have loved to bowl first anyways. The toss doesn’t bother us. We are feeling confident within the group, we are starting to come good as a team. We are playing with the same team,” he stated.

Glenn Maxwell, who has been one of the key performers for RCB in the ongoing IPL 2021, stated that he was looking forward to make his presence felt.

“Not bad. We have had a couple of good sessions. Now we are looking forward to getting out there. He (Bharat) was pretty buoyed after the last game. Obviously it was an amazing night, probably we were behind the game for the lot of it and to finish off like that was a great way to head into the playoffs. Nice to win a game like that, gives the group a lot of confidence going forward. Just been ultra consistent, been really comfortable in my technique and in my role, carrying on that consistency has been really rewarding,” he said.

“It (Sharjah) has been different. I think we have to try and front-end it a little bit more to try and get as many runs in the first 15-16 overs. We know how difficult it gets in the back end, the wicket slows up and the outfield is extremely slow. We have to stick to our game plan, sometimes we are little bit slow off the mark but if we can be on it from ball one, sticking to our lengths a little bit longer and put some dot ball pressure then we can get ourselves in the game,” added Maxwell.

“Just looked to bring my confidence from the Sri Lankan series”

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will also be expected to go out and leave a mark on the game.

“There hasn’t been much of a difference in the first and second half with respect to my preparation. I have just looked to bring my confidence from the Sri Lankan series into this one. We are treating this like a quarter final, it is a do or die game. We need to give not just 100% but 200% here. Whether it is international or IPL, we are used to playing with these small boundaries. If a batsman is to get out, he gets out within 50 meters, so these 60 meter boundaries are good enough. Good balls, whether on a small or big ground, are good balls. I haven’t had a look at the pitch, we got stuck in the traffic for two hours. I need to put on my lenses as well,” he said.





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