IPL 9, Match 20: GL v RCB - 5 Talking Points

Virat Kohli’s maiden T20 century went in vain as the Gujarat Lions strode to yet another IPL 9 win at Rajkot. The entertainment, however, failed to disappoint as the match went down to the wire with a calm Dinesh Karthik guiding the Lions to an impressive win. As far as the Royal Challengers were concerned, yet another problem came back to haunt them given their frugal bowling unit. At the end of the day however, a good game of competitive cricket prevailed. While many talking points came to the fore, five of the main talking points are illustrated below.

1. Watson opens the batting:

The absence of Chris Gayle is beginning to take its toll on the Challengers. The problems have seen the Challengers set different openers until he arrives. Shane Watson was given the opportunity to open the batting with Virat Kohli, therefore sending KL Rahul back down the order to bat at number 4. Shane Watson opened the batting to little or no effect as he was snapped up at the end of the second over by Dhawal Kulkarni, scoring just the six runs scored of just six deliveries.

2. All hail King Kohli:

Virat Kohli is seemingly becoming the face of Indian cricket. The RCB skipper came up with the goods once again. The short story is the fact that Kohli slammed his first century in his T20 cricket. Although the knock went in vain, Kohli’s masterclass came to the fore. He was merciless against the Gujarat Lions bowlers as he didn’t give his wicket away and batted right through the innings. Despite the all of his partner-in-crime AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli ensured that he completed his century. The final ball of his innings came with a slice to third man from the last ball of the Dwayne Bravo spell.

3. KL Rahul’s gambit:

KL Rahul is viewed by the national selectors as the next Test match opener. Well, on the night, Rahul came to the fore with a virtuoso T20 innings, something that will help him to be viewed as a T20 players in the selectors eyes. He played second fiddle to Virat Kohli, who in turn was the toast of the town. His unbeaten compilation of 51 off just 35 balls included 4 boundaries and 3 sixes.

4. Smith and McCullum’s blitz:

Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum came to the fore following an unfortunate hamstring injury to Aaron Finch. The duo got the innings to a magnificent start. Although a case can be made for the feeble bowling attack of the Royal Challengers, they were simply amazing on the evening. Smith got the Lions off to an ideal start as he hammered Chahal and Richardson to all parts. Despite the fall of Smith, McCullum unleashed on Kane Richardson, plundering him for 25 runs in only the latter’s second over.

5. Dinesh Karthik shows nerves of steel:

Dinesh Karthik was released by the Royal Challengers and they realized the importance of the wicketkeeper-batsman almost immediately. It wasn’t the archetypal type of innings where they smash a couple of shots into the crowd and get out the very next ball. Karthik rotated the strike with skipper Suresh Raina and more importantly, converted the ones into twos and ensured a win for the Lions. He took just 39 deliveries to complete an unbeaten 50, including three boundaries.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: Kohli’s ton in vain as Lions roar in the den