Bengaluru: Indian Premier League (IPL) season 10’s most expensive foreign player Ben Stokes heaped praises on Virat Kohli, saying that the Team India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain could very well have smacked him for a six, had fortune favoured him, during Sunday night’s clash between RCB and Rising Pune Supergiants at the Chinnaswami Stadium, in Bengaluru.
Stokes, who got Kohli’s wicket with a steep bouncer, went on to take a couple of more wickets, as RPS recorded 27-run victory.
RPS posted a modest total of 161 from their quota of 20 overs, and it seemed as though RCB would waltz their way to a win. However, Steve Smith and co. and some other plans.
Despite the early wicket of Mandeep Singh, RCB looked like they were in a comfortable position as long as skipper Virat Kohli and South African star batsman AB de Villiers were at the crease.
However, Stokes soon picked up Kohli’s wicket with a climbing delivery, that caught the top edge of the India skipper’s bat and lobbed up into the Bengaluru night sky, before Kohli’s Team India deputy Ajinkya Rahane took a smart catch.
When asked about his plan against Kohli, Stokes was quoted as saying on IPL’s official website, “To be honest, I had a second guess that I’m going to try and bowl him to the end of the mark and T20 is a tough game.
“On one of the days he could’ve just flown that delivery out for a six, but luck was on our side today and we managed to get the hunt,” he said.
While Stokes got Kohli’s wicket, it was the brilliance of former India and RPS captain MS Dhoni, that stumped danger man de Villiers, off Imran Tahir’s bowling.
The Englishman went on to praise Dhoni for the quick hands that caught the South African star unawares, even though he may have been off his guard for a mere nano-second.
“He’s (Dhoni) got amazing hands. If your foot is out of the crease even by a millimetre, you’re gone,” said Stokes.
