Virat Kohli’s RCB have had a poor start to the 2024 IPL season© BCCI/Sportzpics
Former South African and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting legend AB de Villiers said the franchise needs their star batsman Virat Kohli to front his side in the middle overs so that they can “fire on all cylinders”. RCB have started poorly in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season after losing three out of four matches. Virat was their only in-form batsman, with 203 runs in four matches at an average of 67.66, two of which were fifties. He is the current Orange Cap holder for most runs in the season so far. Other big players like skipper Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar etc. have failed to perform with the bat.
Taking to his YouTube channel, De Villiers said: “Hopefully he (Virat) continues his good start because RCB needs that glue in the middle overs. We need him to get through the first six (overs) that ultimately means how I want to see him play. Let Faf take more risks up front, but Virat, I want you to be there above 6-15. That’s when RCB will start firing on all cylinders. Watch out for that.”
Speaking about RCB’s start in the tournament, De Villiers said that while their start is not bad, it is not great either.
“RCB… not a bad start, but not great. It’s in the middle and they need a few wins. They’ll hit the road and hopefully find some fortune away from home before returning to the Chinnaswamy.”
De Villiers represented RCB from 2011-2021 in 157 matches. He scored 4,522 runs at an average of 41.10. He scored two centuries and 37 fifties for the side with a strike rate of over 158. He is also part of the RCB ‘Hall of Fame’ along with West Indian cricket legend Chris Gayle and Indian pacer Vinay Kumar.
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