Shreyas Gopal joyous after scalping Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers

Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal broke the back of the Royal Challengers Bangalore chase by dismissing both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers using the familiarity and knowledge of his domestic home ground, M Chinnaswamy stadium. RCB had earlier been greeted by a show from Sanju Samson where he scored 92 runs in 45 balls.

The 24-year-old Karnataka bowler’s spell of 4-0-22-2 in a match where bowlers were taken to the cleaners was just what RR needed. He removed Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli at 57 and the destructive AB de Villiers at 20 in succession to put an end to the home team’s hopes of chasing down a target of 218 that had never been done before in the T20 league.

“I was just looking to bowl into the wicket a little bit. When I saw first, every time they bowled back of length, it was gripping a little bit and coming slow off the wicket. That was the plan.”

“Shane Warne (RR mentor) and everyone told me the kind of field I should be bowling to and just execute that plan and back that plan 100 percent,” he said after the match at his home ground.

Not the best deliveries says an elated Gopal

Despite, achieving a feat that only few can boast of, Gopal was humble in admitting that the deliveries that got the two were not the best he had bowled. On both occasions, Kohli and Ab de Villiers found fielders in deep while going hard at half-trackers.

“Yes, they were not the best balls that I got ABD and Kohli, I think the plan was to just bowl those hard lengths and make it as difficult as possible for them,” said Gopal, as reported by HT.

“This wicket was a little slower than the normal Bangalore wicket. But with the grass off I expected it to be on the little slower side after watching the previous game.

“When it comes to getting two of the biggest players in the world, it doesn’t happen every day. I just need to soak it in. I am privileged and honoured to have got their wickets.

“It’s a moment that I will always cherish.”

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