Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Virat Kohli for scoring 50 off 38 balls against the Mumbai Indians (MI).
While RCB won the game by 18 runs, no batter who faced at least 10 balls in the high-scoring contest had a lower strike-rate than Kohli’s 131.58. Kohli‘s struggles after an initial burst in the powerplay had to be compensated for first by Phil Salt’s 36-ball 78 and then by Rajat Patidar’s 20-ball 53.
It even led to Simon Doull suggesting on air thatPatidar might have given Kohli the ultimatum to show more intent or get subbed out.
“Virat Kohli’s half-century came at a slightly slower pace,” Harbhajan told JioStar. “You could see he wasn’t fully satisfied, especially with the way Phil Salt was scoring
at the other end. But his role was crucial. He ensured there were no early wickets and provided stability at the top. While players like Rajat Patidar and Salt played more aggressively, Kohli anchored the innings and allowed them to play their natural game. Against someone like Jasprit Bumrah, he was very cautious and played him intelligently, but he made sure to capitalise on the other bowlers whenever there was an opportunity.”
RCB still managed to score 240/4 in the first innings. In the second, spinner Krunal Pandya emerged as the pick of the bowlers to stop his former team 18 runs short.
“Krunal Pandya was outstanding, conceding just 26 runs in four overs and picking up a key wicket like Suryakumar Yadav is a massive contribution. People often say he doesn’t turn the ball much, but in T20 cricket, it’s more about game awareness than big spin. He uses his angles, pace, and understanding of conditions brilliantly. We talk a lot about batters, but matches like these are won by bowlers, and Krunal was the biggest difference. For anyone who says spinners don’t work at Wankhede, this was a perfect example of how to adapt and use your skill intelligently,” Harbhajan said.
