Consistency is CSK’s USP: Faf du Plessis

M52: SRH vs RCB – The last over thriller 4:25 126,954 Views You barely had any nails left to chew, the heart decided to be part of a race of its own. The crowd had gone into frenzy with each fall of wicket from the RCB camp. It got deafening, it got serious, it was bottleneck and there were nerves in both the camps as the match headed towards a thriller.

But, one man on those 22-yards in Hyderabad was playing a game of his own. He had managed to shut himself from all that was happening around him focussing on just three letters - W.I.

N. Right from the time Virat Kohli hit his first ball for an authoritative boundary in an unbelievable run-chase of 81 from six overs, you could get a sense that he meant business. Every shot he laced for a boundary had poise written it, every nudge for a single had intent and every shot over the ropes almost glared confidence as the ball went airborne towards a maximum.

That whip off the wrists, the thwack off the bat and the intelligence in shots took centre stage right under one roof in one night. Here was a man who wanted a victory come what may, here was a man who got the pulse racing right till the last moment, but it was the same man who got his team over the line when his team needed the most. With 13 required of the final over, the match had already got its dose of thrill, but arguably the most anxious moment in that over came when Kohli hit the penultimate ball in the air with his team needing 4 runs.

It went high up and the best fielder from the Sunrisers camp was under it. David Warner managed to pouch it for a moment, but had stepped over the boundary rope. The RCB dugout went berserk, every member of that team who was at the edge of the seat sprung up in jubilation and marched their way to the middle of the ground to pounce on their captain, their hero and their saviour of the night.

A little while later normalcy was restored with the win still fresh and mild celebrations still going on in the RCB dressing room. A beaming Kohli spared a few minutes for iplt20.com and reflected on his match-winning knock of the evening.

Here’s presenting Man of the match - Virat Kohli. Virat, has your heart beat got back to normal? (Smiles) If you had asked me this question two years back, I would have probably given you a different answer. It is pumping right now but I have been in those situations before and to be able to get the team across the line, it feels very special.

Especially knowing that in the 2012 edition of the IPL, we were going great guns again and it was me who got out on 44 and we could not qualify. That game hurt. Then in 2013 as well Sunrisers won their game and they cost us the spot in the playoffs.

I have seen more pressure situations in international cricket I guess but T20 cricket always gets your heart rate up no matter how many games you have played for your country and this one feels very special.What was going through your mind as you saw your big hit in the penultimate ball sailing up in the air with David Warner getting under it? I thought I got a lot of bat on the ball. To be honest I thought I hit it for six instantly but then I saw David Warner signalling to long on that it is an easy catch.

I knew that he was misjudging that because it was going further than he thought. He sort of went behind with the momentum. When I saw the compression in the foam, I knew instantly that the moment of joy had finally arrived.

I feel for him; he is one of the best fielders in the world and you don’t want to be a part of those kind of situations. Mistakes happen with anyone and there was an error of judgment there which is the difference between winning and losing a game. 81 from 6 overs - chased.

Is there any target a team can feel secure about at the moment in cricket? I don’t know. You’ve got to back yourself whatever target you get or whether you are batting first as well. It is all about backing your skills and believing in yourself.

When Chris Gayle got out he told me, ‘Virat please win the game for us’. I said to him I will get us across the line. To be able to do that now feels very good.

I am glad I could do it for my teammates. It is a great bunch of boys out there and it’s a great atmosphere in the team. We deserve this win because of the kind of cricket we have played this series.

Such wins just takes confidence levels a notch higher, isn’t it? Also, this was a much needed win for the side.Absolutely! We are looking to win our final game at home and play good cricket again and get across the line and make it to the top two. It is a great opportunity for us.

We are glad to be in this position right now but complacency is not the word for RCB this season.Just a quick one, is this the most thrilling T20 contest you have been a part of?I won’t say that. I still rate that last ball six against South Australia Redbacks back in the day in the 2011 Champions League as the most special game.

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