For captain Virat Kohli, watching Yuvraj Singh torment the bowlers was a pleasing sight as he lashed out at detractors of his RCB teammate, saying that people should refrain from writing off cricketers who are class apart.
The flamboyant southpaw struck form with two consecutive half-centuries in the last two IPL matches after being criticised for a prolonged lean patch.
He was chided following the Indian team’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 in Dhaka as he could manage just 11 runs off 21 balls during the death overs of the Indian innings.
Last night he hammered nine sixes in his knock against Delhi Daredevils to set up RCB’s win.
“I am glad that Yuvraj Singh has stood up. Lot of people had written him off, which I think should never been done to any cricketer because we never know when one can make a comeback,” he told reporters.
People should respect Yuvraj since he made immense contributions in the country’s wins in the World Cups, Kohli said.
“What a world class player Yuvraj has been for India. It is all about respecting him. He has won two World Cups for us single-handedly. I am really glad to see him stepping up at crucial times for RCB,” he said.
Kohli was also pleased to see contributions from other RCB teammates.
“I am really happy to see that rest of the players also are picking themselves up. Now, we are looking to take one game at a time and not thinking too far away,” he added.
On the changing game plan, Kohli said some changes were made because the management wanted to give bowlers a rest after being hit all over the park in the last game.
“You tend to try a few different things when the results are not going your way. We try to stick to the same team. Probably we make one change every game. After the last game we wanted to give the bowlers a mental rest, and that is why these many changes,” he said.
The management also changed the batting order but fell back to the normal plan since it did not click, Kohli said, adding, “Yuvi, me and AB (de Villiers) can capitalise on someone getting 30 or 40 at the top.”
On his dismal form, Kohli said he is not worried about his performance if the team was winning matches.
“I promoted myself up the order because as I said I was trying a bit hard in trying circumstances but now I am relaxed. The players are contributing which is acting as a cushion for me,” he said.
Replying to a query, Kohli said captaincy was not affecting his batting.
“I was captain last year and I scored 680 runs. So, that’s not the pressure I am taking. Sometimes we should accept things the way they are rather than getting frustrated which harms you even more. I have realised that I have to be mature enough to take that in my stride,” Kohli added.
Replying to yet another query, Kohli said he opening the innings was not an issue for him.
“If someone gets out in the first over, more or less I feel as an opener. I am not worried about opening the innings. I don’t have any issues with it,” he said.
