T20 cricket beyond just 'hitting', reminds Virat Kohli with match-winning knock against DC

It was a tricky pitch to bat on in Delhi as Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru set up the action. The first innings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium saw the home team limping to 120 at the loss of six wickets before Tristan Stubbs took charge. The openers departed early as RCB bowlers maintained tight control in the powerplay and the middle orders. It was not until late in the death when Tristan Stubbs grilled Josh Hazlewood. Before Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to bowl the last over, Stubbs, with a 17-run over off Hazlewood and a 19-run over against Yash Dayal, pushed the total to a fighting 162 in the DC vs RCB IPL 2025 match.

The match-winning partnership between Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya in the DC vs RCB IPL 2025 match

In a league which has evolved into a phase where 200 is considered the par score, 162 seemed like an easy deal for RCB. However, the slow pitch that troubled the home team proved equally tricky in the chase as well, as the visitors endured early jitters. Axar Patel started off with a tight over before Jacob Bethell, making his IPL debut, found two boundaries against Mitchell Starc. However, the fiery onslaught was short-lived for RCB. Axar Patel returned in the third over to send back the young English opener. Moreover, denting the chase further for the guests, Patel trapped Devdutt Padikkal in an inside-edge dismissal as the in-form No.3 for RCB departed at a 2-ball duck.

Virat Kohli took notice of the tricky conditions at the venue and the requirements to lead his team to victory. Rajat Patidar fell to a direct hit by Karun Nair at 12 off 12. Krunal Pandya joined the attack, and Kohli made the all-rounder aware of his responsibilities. Pandya struggled a fair amount in the initial phase of his knock. Kuldeep Yadav maintained tight grip as Pandya failed to even rotate the strike at one point. However, staying firm at the crease and stealing consistent singles and doubles kept RCB in the game despite being reduced to 26 for 3 in the powerplay itself.

Together, Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya knit a partnership of 119 runs, which proved match-winning for the visitors. Virat Kohli found four boundaries, but singles and doubles kept him alive as the batter hit his third consecutive fifty of the season. Krunal Pandya also got to his half-century, his first in 9 years in the league, at a better strike rate. However, as explained by Kohli earlier also, the template is a simple one for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. One batsman is required to anchor the innings while the others maintain the asking run rate and a healthy strike rate.

Virat Kohli reminds of the many requirements in T20 cricket

Kohli departed at 51 off 47 in the 18th over, facing 10 dot balls in his innings. However, for the remaining runs, RCB had Tim David and Jitesh Sharma in the dugout, fully able to finish off the ask of 17 runs in the last two overs. Krunal Pandya, with great support from Virat Kohli at the other end, as expressed by the batter himself, remained unbeaten at 73 off 47. Meanwhile, the chase was finished earlier than anticipated as Tim David wrapped up the matter with four boundaries against Mukesh Kumar in the 19th over. Following the match, Kohli opened up on how T20 cricket should not be looked at with a one-dimensional view.

Following a fiery IPL 2024, the debate shifted where T20 cricket was talked about as a plain template of unrestrained hitting. However, IPL 2025 is faring differently. The pitches are tricky, with a little patience required out of the batters. Hitting right from the word go has rarely worked for any team in the season. Kohli, meanwhile, listed out the aspects that count in for a match-winning knock beyond just 'hitting'.

"People, I think, are forgetting the importance of stitching a partnership or going deep in the innings in T20 cricket. And this year, you can't just come out and tee off from ball one; you need to have the professionalism to read the situation and try and get into a position where you can dominate the bowlers," Virat said.

"And for that, you need to string in a partnership, and it won't come easy on a slow pitch if you don't know how to rotate the strike. That's pretty much my method: analyse the conditions, understand what the score on the board is, understand what the situation demands of me, and have the skills to keep rotating the strike and not be stagnant at one end," he added.

RCB has maintained a spotless record in away fixtures across IPL 2025. The team, led by Rajat Patidar, has won 6 out of 6 matches played away from home so far. The home curse was also broken by the team in the RCB vs RR fixture, charged by yet another masterclass by Virat Kohli. The match saw another stable partnership between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal as the total crossed the 200-run mark for the first time at Chinnaswamy on the back of the fifties by the batters. Now, with 7 wins in 10 matches, RCB sit at the top of the IPL 2025 points table, first in line to earn the Q tag.