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Angelo Mathews admitted that his spinners had been overshadowed by Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar on a helpful Galle deck, after Pakistan’s 10-wicket win in the first Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle21-Jun-2015

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has admitted that his spinners had been overshadowed by Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar on a helpful Galle deck. Yasir and Babar claimed 13 wickets between them, with Mohammad Hafeez’ offspin adding a further two scalps. Sri Lanka’s front-line spinners, meanwhile, returned 5 for 221 in the first innings, and each went at more than a run a ball during Pakistan’s brief second-innings chase.Galle has historically been a stronghold for Sri Lankan spin. Muttiah Muralitharan has a 111 wickets at the venue – the most for any bowler at a single ground – while Herath also has 61 wickets there. Pakistan had lost each of their three previous Galle Tests, with Herath playing a significant role in each of those defeats.”I admit that our spinners were not as effective as their spinners on this track – where it was turning from day one,” Mathews said. “We needed our spinners to fire and fire quickly, but they didn’t.”I would say Rangana was not as effective as Yasir Shah or Babar was for them. I wouldn’t call it being rusty, but unfortunately he couldn’t make an impact in this game. We’re playing a Test match after a few months, and Herath is coming back after an injury. He’s having a lot of niggles. He knows he hasn’t done well in this game, but hopefully he can bounce back quickly.”Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq had also spoken of being prepared for Herath on this tour, which so far seems to be the case. Herath took 1 for 129 in a match where two thirds of the wickets fell to spin. “They played Rangana well – very positively,” Mathews said. “They know that if you give Rangana wickets it’s not easy. He continues to take wickets.”While Mathews acknowledged that Sarfraz Ahmed’s brisk 96 had played a role in turning the match, he was more regretful of the contributions from Pakistan’s tail, in the first innings. Babar and Asad Shafiq put on 101 for the ninth wicket on the fourth afternoon – with Babar hitting 56 of those runs off 60 balls.”I think Shafiq and Sarfraz’s partnership was crucial, but still what made the difference was Babar and Shafiq’s partnership. That made a massive difference to the game. They were in total control and we were put under lot of pressure. After having them 118 for 5, it was disappointing that they scored another 340 runs. We can’t let a number 10 come and get a fifty on this track. “Sri Lanka had been on the wrong end of a similar lower-order resurgence against New Zealand, in January. “It happened as well in New Zealand where we had the game in our hands and we dropped a catch and it slipped away. Here it was a chanceless innings by Asad, Sarfraz and Babar.”No matter where we play it’s tough to lose. If you take our recent history, we’ve only recently lost to South Africa in Galle, so we’ve historically played well here. On this occasion, we bowled and batted poorly – we accept that. Our fielding was good, but the other disciplines weren’t there.”

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O atacante Wellington Silva, do Internacional, completou 50 jogos com a camisa do clube gaúcho nesta quinta-feira (31) diante do Athletico Paranaense no empate em 1 a 1 que valeu pela 29ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Comentando sobre o feito, Wellington se disse feliz apenas em parte já que o resultado da partida número 50 não foi o desejado ainda mais pensando na briga por uma das vagas rumo a Libertadores 2020:

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– É um número legal de alcançar por um clube do tamanho do Internacional. Fica a lamentação por completar 50 partidas com um empate no Beira Rio, principalmente, quando estávamos perto da vitória.

Dos 50 jogos, 33 foram este ano e 17 ocorreram na temporada passada. O que mostra um crescimento do jogador dentro do clube de um ano para o outro. Com contrato de empréstimo até o meio de 2020, Wellington espera mais oportunidades, sempre respeitando a decisão da comissão técnica:

– Vou continuar buscando as oportunidades sempre respeitando a decisão do treinador. O importante é estar pronto para quando ser requisitado estar bem para dar o melhor dentro de campo. Empenho da minha parte nunca vai faltar.

Apesar de compreender as manifestações de protestos e vaias que vieram das arquibancadas do Beira-Rio após o apito final que decretou a igualdade, o atacante entende que a hora é de focar todas as energias no clássico contra o Grêmio do próximo domingo (3). Partida essa, aliás, potencializada em importância por ser um duelo direto na parte alta da tabela.

– Entendo a chateação do torcedor, mas seguimos vivos por uma das vaga para Libertadores. Fim de semana já tem um GreNal, que além de ser contra o maior rival, briga conosco diretamente por uma das vagas. Não temos tempo para lamentar – concluiu.

India are without many seniors in the side which will bring the teams together a little closer in what could be a competitive series

The Preview by Liam Brickhill in Harare09-Jul-2015Match factsFriday, July 10
Start time 9.00 am local time (0700 GMT)Big pictureIn comparison to the Ashes hype that greeted Australia’s arrival in England, the build-up to India’s short tour of Zimbabwe has seemed distinctly provincial. It has not helped that a number of the Indian players are virtually unknown to Zimbabwe’s cricket-watching public.The absence of several seniors from this side will also bring these two teams, from opposite ends of cricket’s spectrum, a little closer together. Friday’s ODI is the first in what could be a competitive series.Which is not to say that India aren’t still favourites, and there’s plenty to motivate this group. The seven members of the squad who were also present during the one-day defeats to Bangladesh will sense an opportunity to move on. There is a middle-order position up for grabs in the side, a handful of keen young bowlers, and clear value to be gained from a good tour for players such as Stuart Binny and M Vijay.Zimbabwe, on the other hand, were eminently watchable against Pakistan in May and even without Brendan Taylor, the batsmen have shown themselves to be a dynamic unit who could profit from an inexperienced Indian bowling attack, with the exception of Harbhajan Singh. Zimbabwe’s own bowling attack is missing the key figure of Tendai Chatara, who is still recuperating from a broken leg, though the conditions will probably favour slower bowlers anyway.With so much cricket planned for the remainder of the year, this series marks an important starting point for Zimbabwe. A competitive showing here could set them up nicely to meet the challenges to come in the next few months. This will also be the first match under the new ODI playing conditions, which do away with compulsory close catchers in the first 10 overs, remove the batting Powerplay, allow five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last 10 overs of an ODI innings and Free Hits for all no-balls.Form guideZimbabwe: LLLLL
India: WLLLWIn the spotlightStuart Binny’s IPL performances suggest a player capable of fulfilling India’s search for an ODI allrounder, but at 31, he has only played 10 ODIs. Time is running out for Binny to cement his place in India’s side in the long term, and these matches could provide a necessary platform for him to showcase his talent with bat and ball.Sikandar Raza’s role in Zimbabwe’s one-day side has undergone something of a metamorphosis. He started off as an opener but he has been moved down the order into a finishing role, and made a century batting at No. 5 in Pakistan. His offspin bowling, once modestly part-time, has also progressed and he’ll have an all-round role to play in any Zimbabwean success.Team newsCraig Ervine’s hamstring niggle has kept him out of contention for a slot in Zimbabwe’s middle order, but there are still a number of batsmen vying for a position there. Malcolm Waller looked in good form during Zimbabwe’s practice matches last week, while Regis Chakabva and Richmond Mutumbami are jostling for the solitary wicketkeeping slot, and staked an equal claim by sharing a century partnership during the practice matches, with Mutumbami being the incumbent.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Elton Chigumbura, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Tinashe Panyangara, 11 Brian Vitori.With so many empty slots to fill, India have plenty of freedom in the assembly of their playing XI. Manoj Tiwary’s experience in the position means he’ll probably open with M Vijay, while the presence of Stuart Binny provides balance to the bowling attack.India (probable): 1 Murali Vijay, 2 Manoj Tiwary, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Robin Uthappa (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Dhawal KulkarniPitch and conditionsWinter pitches in Zimbabwe tend to be very dry, and often play slow and low. Local knowledge suggests there may not be a huge amount of turn, but that spinners will still play a leading role in restricting scoring. That’s not to say that the quicks will have nothing to do – the very early starts to these games mean that during the first hour the ball will still nip and seam around.Stats and trivia> Zimbabwe’s squad has played a combined 986 one-day internationals. India’s ODI experience tallies up at 479. India and Zimbabwe have met 57 times in ODIs, with India winning 45 and Zimbabwe 10. There have been two tied matches between the teams.Quotes”I’ve brought a few ideas with me, and I’ve got my own style of captaincy, but I’ve learned a lot from Dhoni under his captaincy.””The hardware is there, you’ve seen it, it’s the software that they’ve got to work on.”

With MS Dhoni being an uncertain starter for the Asia Cup opener, Virat Kohli has said that India need to sort out their batting combination and shake up things

Alagappan Muthu in Mirpur23-Feb-2016In the lead up to the World T20, India’s success in the shortest format has been built on the success of their top order. They swept Australia 3-0 with Virat Kohli scoring 199 runs in three matches. He was dismissed only once. Rohit Sharma was not too far behind, making 143 runs at an average of 47.66 and a strike rate of 136.19. Shikhar Dhawan found form against Sri Lanka and even showed signs of an expanded range of shots on the leg side.It is likely that these three will still be India’s top three when they play the World T20, but at the Asia Cup they have a minor problem. MS Dhoni is an uncertain starter for the tournament opener against Bangladesh after an onset of back spasms during training in Fatullah on Monday and this means that the batting combination needs to be relooked. So, Parthiv Patel, who has not played for India since 2012, has been flown in as cover.Parthiv was part of the senior core that won Gujarat their first-ever domestic one-day trophy last December. He hit his first-ever List A ton to secure the title. He was in fine form in Twenty20s as well, striking four fifties in five matches, including three on the trot. But perhaps the most surprising aspect of his success in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was his strike rate – 162.80 – comfortably the best among the top-five run-getters in the tournament. Parthiv finished with 337 runs in nine matches, but all those runs had come at the top of the order.’Happy to see Amir back in action’

Virat Kohli and Mohammad Amir have faced each other only twice in their careers. Their battle against each other will add a significant amount of interest to the India-Pakistan face off on Saturday. Kohli is at the peak of his batting powers in limited-overs cricket and Amir has returned to international cricket having served a five-year ban for match-fixing without losing much of his old skill.
“I am very happy to see Amir back in action,” Kohli said.”He understood his mistake and has corrected himself and come back. He played in New Zealand too. He has always been an outstanding bowler, a world-class bowler. If he had played these five years, he would have been among the top two-three bowlers in the world. He has the talent, the pace, swings the ball both ways, has a good bouncer and a good yorker, so I wish him all the best. He has worked hard and has shown a lot of courage to come back to this stage.”

Budging Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli off Nos. 1, 2 and 3 does not seem likely. Then there is Suresh Raina, who needs to get used to No. 4 because Dhoni wants to try him at that position in the World T20, and Yuvraj Singh can bat no lower than No. 5. So if Dhoni, who is the regular No. 6 is unable to play, Parthiv might well have to slot into the lower-middle order. None of this is certain because India have not ruled out their captain from playing the match on Wednesday, but if the injury is anywhere near serious and with the World T20 just weeks away, it seems logical that they won’t take any risks.”Obviously, a player having a niggle just before a game and obviously someone like MS who is sort of a pillar for us in the middle order [is a problem],” Kohli said. “[And with] Parthiv coming in, we will obviously have to sit down and see [what happens] if that situation comes in where he has to play.”We will have to then sort out what’s the best possible combination for the team in terms of the batting order. As of now, unless we have a decision, we cannot sit down and make a concrete plan. Obviously discussions will happen sometime today during the practice session as to what needs to be done if that situation [Dhoni does not play] arises. It’s obviously going to be a different from what we’ve been playing till now. Just have to wait and see.”India will have to fit their incumbent players’ preferences into those calculations. Kohli himself for example has been outstanding at No. 3 in T20Is lately. It wasn’t that long ago that he appeared to be a fidgety player. He had a habit of hitting the ball too hard and got restless when he couldn’t play according to a set template.”My plan in my early T20 playing days was to get myself in for a few balls, maybe ten balls, and then score quickly,” Kohli said. “I used to think too much about T20 cricket. I used to think that maybe I don’t hit as many big shots as some of the other players, or that I don’t hit too many sixes. So I used to try to do a lot more, plan too much.”In IPLs 2008, 2009 – when he was a rookie with Royal Challengers Bangalore – and 2012 and 2014 – when he was brought into the leadership fold – his strike rate was under 125. He did have outstanding seasons in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 but the Australia tour showed Kohli’s skill as a batsman in the sharpest light. He has added the sweep to his repertoire, having worked on it with Rahul Dravid, during India A’s second unofficial Test against Australia A, ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. His extra-cover lofts have often been as striking as they have been productive. And the thirst for singles and twos has meshed well with his ability to now play with softer hands and still find the necessary runs.His T20I average of 50.62 is the highest in the world under condition of 500 runs. Add that to him having the lowest dot-ball percentage in the world – 28.2 – and it is clear that he needs to be given every opportunity to take control of a cricket match.”Now I play on instinct. I have come to terms with the fact that I can’t hit too many sixes, so I concentrate on hitting boundaries,” Kohli said. ” I have tried to mould my game to that, try to hit the ball in the gaps and get fours, rather than sixes, which is a higher risk shot. I might hit more boundaries than sixes and still get the result. I am scoring at 160 still, so it doesn’t matter if I am hitting sixes or fours or doing it in singles and doubles. That’s the mindset I go in with in this format.”

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Após bater o Brasil de Pelotas na última terça-feira, o Vitória enfim respirou na luta contra o rebaixamento. Agora, o Leão Rubro-Negro comandado por Geninho chegou aos 40 pontos e abriu seis do temido Z4.

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Na sexta-feira, o Leão volta a campo e a parada é complicada, já que o rival é o Paraná, na sempre difícil Vila Capanema.

Ciente que o rival luta pelo acesso, o técnico Geninho não quer saber de poupar ninguém e vai com o que tem de melhor para Curitiba. No total, ele relacionou 20 atletas, destaque para Jhony Caicedo, de volta após suspensão.

Por outro lado, Everton Sena, suspenso, e Chiquinho e Wesley, machucados, estão fora de combate.

Confira a lista dos relacionados:

Goleiros: Martín Rodriguez e Ronaldo;
Laterais: Carleto, Matheus Rocha, Van e Wellisson;
Zagueiros: Dedé, João Victor, Ramon e Zé Ivaldo;
Volantes: Baraka, Léo Gomes, Lucas Cândido, Rodrigo Andrade e Romisson;
Meia: Felipe Gedoz;
Atacantes: Anselmo Ramon, Eron, Felipe Garcia e Jordy;

Despite producing a four-wicket haul to beat UAE, Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga said that he might consider announcing his retirement from T20 international cricket

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur25-Feb-20161:23

‘These are maybe my last few months’ – Malinga

Two wickets in his first over and two more in his second spell was how Lasith Malinga marked his comeback into competitive cricket after more than three months. Figures of 4 for 26 helped Sri Lanka beat the UAE by 14 runs but the performance didn’t entirely make him happy.Instead, Malinga said that he is on his last legs and might even consider announcing his retirement from T20Is. Towards the end of the post-match press conference, Malinga was asked if he would make a retirement announcement before the World T20 like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara did in 2014.”There might be,” was Malinga’s response with a smile, before there was a long pause which eventually ended the briefing.He had earlier said that his international career is now at a stage from where he can’t really take long breaks, like he had to take after the knee injury that kept him out for the last three months.”I am playing [for] 12 years in the national team, I am 32 years old,” Malinga said. “I think if now I have an injury, it is hard to get rest. If I take rest for a year or more, that’s the end of my career. If I need to play for my country, I have to play tough cricket in the last few months or years. I don’t think I can fully recover from this injury but I try to manage this in future.”I don’t know how many months or years I will play. [At the] end of my career, I try to play maximum number of games for my national team or in the IPL. I want to play as long as possible, and at my best.”Malinga said that this has been a difficult comeback for him given that he hadn’t played a game since November last year, due to a knee injury which he said was similar to the one he suffered in 2008 that kept him out of cricket for nearly a year.”I am not happy [with my performance today],” Malinga said. “I haven’t bowled a single ball in the last three months. I just bowled in the nets in the last two days. I am happy with the result but I think I have to do more for the team. I will try my best in the next game. [This performance] is not my 100 percent, maybe 60-70 percent, but still I managed to bowl yorkers and slower balls. Team expects more than that from me.””I had a very bad injury in the knee. Same thing happened in 2008. I needed two years rest to recover. I had same injury in the other leg. This is not the right time to rest since we have the World T20. I am the experienced bowler in the T20 format. I have to use painkillers and injections, whatever I have to do [to play]. This is the end of my career so I want to do something for the team. I want to give my best in the last few years or maybe few months.”Coming back to the game, Malinga said that they were not too sure of the total they would have to put in front of the UAE as the pitch surprised them.”We were not prepared for this wicket in Bangladesh. This is a really good wicket. We didn’t know a target batting first. I am always saying we have to set a target. We got 129 so this is the best score for our team.”We had to minimise those boundaries to defend that total. Their bowlers did really well, there was movement off the wicket and bit of grass. We managed to do well because we have experienced bowlers like myself, Rangana [Herath] and [Nuwan] Kulasekara. I am really not disappointed with the batsmen. UAE is a good side. I never underestimated them.”

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Após passagem pelo Paysandu no segundo semestre de 2016, Tiago Luis retornou ao clube na atual temporada e pode conquistar seu primeiro título pelo Papão. Nesta quinta-feira, a equipe paraense enfrentará o Cuiabá na primeira partida da decisão da Copa Verde, às 21h, na Arena Pantanal.

– É uma motivação enorme para nós ter essa final neste fim de ano. A temporada não foi como queríamos, como todos sabem e viram, tivemos problemas na Série C e acabamos não conseguindo subir por detalhes que não cabem mais comentar neste momento. Temos que estar com a cabeça voltada para essa partida decisiva, para poder dar uma alegria ao nosso torcedor. Queremos poder fazer história, sendo tricampeão – afirmou Tiago.

– Sei que não vivi um ano como queria, tanto individualmente como coletivamente, mas me preparei muito para este momento. Estou me sentindo muito bem para poder ajudar e fazer uma grande partida. Essa parada foi ótima para melhorar a condição física e técnica, pude fazer gol em amistoso e acredito que vamos muito fortes para essas finais – completou o meia.

A última partida oficial do Paysandu foi no dia 6 de outubro, em 3 a 1 sobre o Remo, pela semifinal da Copa Verde. Na oportunidade, Tiago Luis entrou na segunda etapa, aos 20 minutos.

Depois de um período de folga, por conta de longo tempo sem jogos oficiais, nas últimas três semanas o elenco do Papão voltou todas as suas forças para a decisão. Em disputas de amistosos, Tiago chegou a marcar um gol na vitória por 2 a 0 sobre a Tuna Luso.

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O emocionante “Clássico dos Milhões”, nesta quarta, foi o último encontro do Flamengo contra os tradicionais rivais do Rio de Janeiro no ano. E se o Rubro-Negro termina 2019 com ótimo aproveitamento nos clássicos – 9 vitórias, cinco empates e um revés -, a Nação pode agradecer a BH27, Gabigol e Arrascaeta.

O trio foi responsável por 20 dos 28 gols do time da Gávea nestes 15 clássicos (veja os números de cada um detalhados abaixo). Contratados neste início da temporada, os atacantes e o meia uruguaio elevaram o nível do time e são os grandes nomes do Rubro-Negro em 2019, e lideram as principais estatísticas.

O aproveitamento foi de 66,67% dos pontos disputados contra Fluminense, Vasco e Botafogo, levando em considerações todos clássicos de 2019, pelo Campeonato Carioca e Brasileirão. Sob o comando do português Jorge Jesus, que assumiu o Flamengo em junho, o desempenho é ainda melhor: quatro vitórias e um empate (86,67% de aproveitamento), todas no torneio nacional.

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Os gols, as assistências e as atuações decisivas nas “partidas grandes”, como nos clássicos, deixaram o trio ofensivo do Fla nas graças da Nação rubro-negra.

Gabriel Barbosa, 21 gols, e Bruno Henrique, 18, sãos os maiores goleadores do Brasileirão. Arrascaeta (11) vem logo atrás dos atacantes do Bahia e do Santos, Wellington Paulista e Eduardo Sasha, respectivamente. Na temporada, o trio já soma 83 gols pelo Flamengo, fundamentais nas campanhas da Libertadores e da competição nacional. Os títulos, que podem ser conquistados nas próximas semanas, seriam a consagração de anos mágicos de Arrasca, Gabigol e BH27.

RETROSPECTO DO FLAMENGO EM CLÁSSICOS EM 2019

9V/5E/1D -28 gols a favor e 15 gols contra

Flamengo x Fluminense (Carioca e Brasileirão)
3V/2E/1D – 8 gols a favor/5 gols contra
Bruno Henrique (3), Gabigol (2), Everton Ribeiro, Renê e Gerson

Flamengo x Vasco(Carioca e Brasileirão)
3V/3E – 14 gols a favor/7 gols contra
Bruno Henrique (5), Arrascaeta (3), Gabigol (2), Everton Ribeiro, Arão, Vitinho e Danilo Barcelos (contra)

Flamengo x Botafogo(Carioca e Brasileirão)
3V – 6 gols a favor/3 gols contra
Bruno Henrique (3), Gabigol, Lincoln e Gerson

Artilheiros do Flamengo em clássicos em 2019:
Bruno Henrique (12)
Gabigol (5)
Arrascaeta (3)
Eeverton Ribeiro (2)
Gerson (2)
Arão
Vitinho
Lincoln

Assistências do trio em clássicos em 2019:
Arrascaeta – 3
Bruno Henrique – 3
Gabigol – 2

Shahid Afridi has stepped down as Pakistan’s T20 captain but has said that he intends to continue playing international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-20162:31

Match Day – Afridi didn’t have the temperament for captaincy

Shahid Afridi has decided not to retire from T20 internationals following Pakistan’s exit from the World T20, but he has stepped down from captaincy in the format.”Today I wish to inform my fans in Pakistan and all over the world that I am relinquishing the captaincy of the T20 Pakistan team of my own volition,” Afridi said in a statement. “I would also like to inform that InshaAllah I intend to continue playing the game for my country and league cricket etc, and request my fans to keep praying and supporting me as long as I play for Pakistan or for any other league team all over the worldAfter the 2015 World Cup, Afridi, 36, had announced his intention to retire from international cricket following the World T20 in India. Earlier this year, however, he stated he was facing “huge pressure” from family and friends to not do so.Afridi was heavily criticised as a leader following Pakistan’s poor performances in the recent Asia Cup and the World T20. Pakistan’s only victories in eight games across those two tournaments were against UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Subsequently, a report from the coach Waqar Younis said the players “felt confused with what the captain was telling them to do” The team manager Intikhab Alam said Afridi was an “absolutely clueless” captain.Afridi had succeeded Mohammad Hafeez as T20 captain in September 2014. He won 11 out of 24 matches in that time. His batting and bowling form has also been dipping recently. Over the past 12 months, he has averaged 14.61 with the bat and 34 with the ball. Overall, he has led Pakistan in 43 matches, won 19 and lost 23.

Virat Kohli soothed the hurt of Hyderabad with his second T20 hundred and an RCB victory they badly needed

Nikhil Kalro in Bangalore07-May-2016Virat Kohli did not have a T20 hundred for 192 games. Anticipation that it was within his grasp built over 13 T20s in 2016, leading into the IPL, when he scored 625 runs at an average of 125. It came in the fifth game of the season, a last-ball sliced boundary off Dwayne Bravo providing his breakthrough innings against Gujarat Lions.Yet, there wasn’t much reason for joy. Royal Challengers Bangalore were languishing one off the bottom with two wins in seven games. They remain in penultimate spot, but on a balmy Saturday evening, as Kohli notched up his second T20 century in a match-winning knock, he had again lifted his team.Kohli played down how much a T20 hundred meant to him. “Not that I was desperate to get one, but last time I felt like it was something I hadn’t achieved,” he said. “But I didn’t have control over my game because we were batting first there.”This 100, I didn’t plan to get a 100, as I said in the last game. I never looked at my score in the scoreboard, all I looked at was how many runs and balls are there… how many runs we need to score, in which over. In that process, if you get a milestone like that it feels sweet. But in an hour, or a couple of hours, when I realise what happened, then it’ll feel far sweeter.”Defeat in the last game to Kolkata Knight Riders had sharpened Kohli’s sense that a victory was especially necessary to provide a lift.”The ultimate target was the victory because of how hurt we were after the last game,” he said. “We needed a victory like this to pull ourselves up again, especially the kind of day we had in the field. It’s very easy to lose your cool, get carry away and get frustrated. You rather take that frustration and be determined to put in that 20 per cent extra.”In this season, 27 out of 36 matches have been won by the chasing side. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s small dimensions make it a particularly favourable chasing ground, but Kohli had lost three tosses at home this season, which resulted in two losses.”We had the chance to chase one down, and I backed myself to go for the target and make sure I’m there in the end and win the game for the team. In Hyderabad, I couldn’t do that, I was very disappointed,” Kohli said.”If you want your team to do a certain thing, you have to go out there first and do it in front of them to convince them that this is the direction you need to go in. I failed to do that In Hyderabad and that hurt me a lot.Virat Kohli now has two T20 hundreds•BCCI

“It’s about understanding what line the bowlers are trying to bowl at you. You need to get into the bowler’s head. You have to back yourself to know if a ball is full enough, you can pierce long-off and covers. Doesn’t matter how much the gap is between them, even if its 20 metres, you need to hit it well enough. All about being absolutely convinced that you can get the result you want. If you are half-hearted, then the ball actually never goes for a boundary.”Kohli was quick to give credit to cameos from KL Rahul and Shane Watson which helped Royal Challengers set the platform they required to achieve the target of 192.”You can’t do it all by yourself. Contributions from KL, Watto gave us the right kind of momentum to us through the middle, even after AB got out. Those things matter a lot. Sometimes we neglect those because one gets a milestone.”