IPL 2023: 'Once he gets into his 40s, he slows down' - Manjrekar on Virat Kohli's batting after RCB beat PBKS

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) returned to winning ways as they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs in match 27 of the IPL 2023 edition on Thursday (April 20), in Mohali. Virat Kohli captained the franchise after a long time as regular captain Faf du Plessis only featured as an Impact Player, due to his hip injury.

Being asked to bat first, Kohli-Faf stitched an impressive 137-run opening stand as the duo continued their rich forms. Towards the end, RCB only managed 37 runs in the last four overs as they posted 174 for 4. In reply, Shikhar Dhawan-less Punjab only managed 150 all-out in 18.2 overs to lose by 24 runs. Kohli slammed a 47-ball 59 whereas Faf top-scored with a solid 56-ball 84before Mohammed Siraj returned with 4-0-21-4.

Seeing RCB's batting, where they struggled for a late flourish, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar said, as quoted by India Today, "The start promised so much, but the score wasn’t what we expected. But the fact is that it’s an afternoon game. The pitch will become slower. That gives RCB hope. But, yes, they could have added maybe 25 runs more, considering the start that they had."

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Also Read:IPL 2023: All-round RCB beat PBKS by 24 runs to return to winning ways, move up in points table

On Kohli slowing down after a fine start, Manjrekar opined, "It’s the same scenario with Virat Kohli that we have been seeing for a while. When the bowlers take the pace off, he struggles to get a move on. We saw that in the last IPL too. Once he gets into his 40s, he tends to slow down a little bit, I don’t know what the reason for that is."

"But, Faf du Plessis, how unselfish he was! He had an opportunity to get a hundred as well. But he was looking to hit a six every ball. He could have also maybe hang around and get a hundred. But he was looking to belt every ball for a six as he had a target in mind. That's the kind of batting that you really want to see," the ex-cricketer added.

Kohli-Faf added 59runs in the powerplays but the former slowed down once the field restrictions were lifted. He failed to accelerate freely in the middle overs, which has been an issue for him for quite some time.Kohli slammed 43 off 26 deliveries against pacers, smashing a six and three fours butfaced as many as nine dot balls to only manage16 off21 balls against the Punjab spinners.

RCB will hope for Kohli to sort out his middle-overs issue and dominate pace and spin equally as the tournament progresses ahead.