Former South African captain Ab de Villiers, who played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has advice for his former teammate Virat Kohli - the leading run-scorer of the ongoing season.
RCB faced their third defeat of the season on Tuesday, conceding a 28-run loss to KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants at home.
The side failed to chase down the 182-run target after inviting LSG to bat, with none of their top-6 batters managing to cross the 30-run mark. Kohli, the side's most consistent batter for many years now, also failed to make a mark in the chase, scoring only 22.
AB de Villiers spoke in detail about the side's poor start to the season. On his official YouTube channel, the former South African captain reviewed the IPL sides so far based on their performances and had crucial advice for Kohli as he discussed the side's struggles.
De Villiers wants his former teammate to stay “glued” to the crease for most of the side's innings, insisting that it is the best-case scenario for the side to “fire on all cylinders.”
“Hopefully, he keeps going with his good start, because RCB need that glue in the middle overs. We need him to get through the first six (overs), that's ultimately how I want to see him play. Let Faf take more risk upfront, but Virat, I want you to be there over 6-15. That's when RCB is going to fire from all cylinders. Watch out for that,” the SA legend said.
RCB now face two away games against Rajasthan Royals and the struggling Mumbai Indians on April 6 and 11, respectively and will be aiming to make a strong comeback on the road.
“RCB… not a bad start but not great. It's in the middle, and they need a couple of wins. They will be hitting the road and hopefully, they find a good fortune away from home before they come back to the Chinnaswamy,” de Villiers added.
With only two points in four matches, RCB are ninth on the table, only ahead of Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians, who are yet to get off the mark in three matches. RCB's next opponents, Rajasthan Royals, have made a blistering start to the season, registering wins in all three of their matches. They remain at the top of the table.
- Virat Kohli