Virat Kohli backs Rajat Patidar to bat at number 3 position; PBKS defeat RCB by 34 runs

Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 34 runs and moved up to the 5th spot of the IPL 2021 points table. PBKS vs RCB encounter witnessed many outstanding performances both with the bat and the ball, however, RCB's right-handed batsman Rajat Patidar came under the scanner of the cricket experts after he struggled with the bat and scored 31 runs off 30 balls. Kevin Pietersen from the commentary box during the match criticised RCB's team management's decision of sending Rajat Patidar at number 3 position. 

However, RCB skipper Virat Kohli defended Rajat Patidar during the post-match presentation and backed him to bat at the number 3 spot. "The composition of our team is such that we give him (Rajat Patidar) the freedom to play at number 3. It's (batting order) situational, this is a good balance for our batting lineup. Rajat Patidar is a quality player, just that tonight wasn't his night. In the end, we gave away 25 runs too many. One wicket there and we could have squeezed them. We couldn't execute our plans. Pulled few runs nicely as Harshal and Jamieson hit few runs towards the end. The margin could have been a bigger one otherwise."

Earlier, Virat Kohli had won the toss and invited KL Rahul & Co to bat first. After losing an early wicket, Chris Gayle went berserk at the Narendra Modi stadium and played an explosive inning of 46 runs off 24 balls. He even smashed Kyle Jamieson for 5 boundaries in a single over. After his dismissal, KL Rahul playing captain's knock of unbeaten 91 runs and pushed the total to 179 in 20 overs. In the second innings, left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar turned the match upside down after he dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers. 

'Virat Kohli's wicket was very special', says Harpreet Brar

For his outstanding bowling performance, Harpreet Brar was chosen as the player of the match. In the post-match presentation, Harpreet Brar called the wicket of Virat Kohli very special. "I hail from Moga district. I am sure the people back home would be proud and happy. I wasn't overwhelmed when Kohli hit me because a bowler always gets a second chance to come back. My first IPL wicket was Kohli Paaji's wicket and that was very special. It came out in a flow after that, your body opens up, you get confident and things fall in place. When I came out to bat, I had the time to wait for a couple of overs. Rahul bhai was also talking to me about the conditions and about the shots I could play."

(Image Credits: iplt20.com/PTI)