IPL 2021: Kohli after RCB's loss to CSK - 'Have to show more courage in crunch moments'

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli said his side did not show "courage in crunch moments" as they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Friday.

Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal gave a flying start to RCB's innings after they were asked to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They shared 1n 111-run opening partnership before the skipper got out in the 14th over for 53 off 41. En route his second half-century of the season, Kohli struck six fours and a six.

Meanwhile, Padikkal produced a far better knock as he scored a 50-ball 70. CSK pacer Dwayne Bravo, who finished with the most wickets for CSK in the match, broke RCB's opening stand with the wicket of Kohli.

RCB skipper Kohli credited the CSK bowlers, saying they executed the slower deliveries and yorkers well. Despite RCB's flying start, CSK managed to restrict them at 156 for 6 in 20 overs.

"The wicket did slow down a bit. But I feel we left out 15-20 runs out there; 175 would've been a winning total. We didn't bowl consistently. We didn't show that much courage I guess with the ball. They bowled well in the back end of the innings, executed the slower balls and yorkers nicely.

We spoke of areas we didn't want them to hit and we didn't do that. That little bit of X factor was missing in the first 5-6 overs. We got to get on that winning run again. This one is a bit more disappointing. The first one we just weren't in the game. Have to show more courage in crunch moments. This tournament goes by quickly," Kohli said at the post-match presentation in Sharjah.

https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1441466871539281922

Meanwhile, CSK pacer Bravo, who was eventually named the Player of the Match, said that Kohli's wicket was an important one.

"IPL is the toughest competition in the world. It works on some days and on some days it doesn't. My pride and my love for this game keeps me going. Virat was a very important wicket and RCB are a big side. I just wanted to keep it simple. As I said, preparation is the key for me. I practice in the nets, keep myself healthy and use my experience to come up in these situations.

That gets the batsmen thinking about where it will go. Experience will always get us through in this franchise. The message from the coach in the dressing room is that we might not always be the quickest, but we will get the job done. We need to stay safe from the over-rate fines as well (laughs)," added Bravo after helping CSK beat RCB by 8 wickets on Friday.

With the win against RCB, Dhoni's CSK returned to the top of the IPL 2021 table. With 14 points from nine matches, CSK are on the level with Delhi Capitals (DC) in points but are ahead because of their superior net run rate.

CSK next head to Abu Dhabi to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday (Sept. 26). On the same day, RCB face-off against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Dubai.