Virat Kohli was reading me like a book: Shane Watson

Run-machine of team India, Virat Kohli has been on-song for the past year or so. Virat played a crucial role in taking India to the semi-finals of the World T20 2016 by beating Australia with a match-winning knock in the crucial encounter.

Kohli smashed a superlative 82 not out off 51 balls with 9 boundaries and 2 sixes to take India over the line along with skipper MS Dhoni. Shane Watson was one of the economical bowlers for Australia in the match and Watson said he always had plans to contain Virat Kohli. “Every time I have played against Virat, there have always been specific plans, more on how to contain him. He rarely makes a mistake. As a bowler, I just want to contain him as much as I can.”

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Watson added that he was trying to keep him guessing by mixing the line and lengths, but he admitted that by the end of the third over, Virat was reading him like a book and hitting wherever he wants. “It’s more about trying to mix it up so that he doesn’t really have much of an idea about where I am going to bowl at. But by the end of the third over or so he is reading me like a book and hits wherever he wants,” he quipped.

He credited his Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, Virat Kohli, for his scintillating run in the IPL. “To be able to score one (century) in your entire career (in T20s) is an incredible feat, but for someone to score four hundreds in a (single edition) of the IPL!”

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Virat’s 4th hundred came in a 15-over-a-side match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), where he scored 113 off 50 balls. Watto also said that it’s a privilege to play along with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers off the field as well and see what incredible people they are. “Virat and AB (De Villiers) as well, they’re playing a different game at the moment. Their control and what they’re doing is mind-blowing. It’s a privilege to be able to play with RCB, to get to know Virat and AB, off the field as well and see what incredible people they are,”

A week ago, RCB were almost out of the tournament, they needed 4 wins out of 4 matches for survival. But they have been playing incredibly well since then, and have won 3 out of 3 and with one match to go against Delhi Daredevils on 22nd May. Talking about the mood in their camp, Watson said: “We are flying. To be able to win and get ourselves in this position before the next round is an incredible achievement. It will take franchises some time to find out the right mix for the new players. A couple of really crucial players were missing as well. It’s just about finding the right balance. Once we did, things have just continued to go up from there. It’s just a really special franchise to be involved with right now. Everything has gelled and everything has clicked. We are having a very good time.”