Kohli, Salt guide RCB to nine-wicket win against RR
Jaipur, Apr 13 (PTI): Openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt slammed brisk half-centuries and shared a 92-run partnership to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nine-wicket win against hosts Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt smashed 65 off 33 deliveries, his highest score this season, while Kohli struck an unbeaten 62 (45 balls) as RCB overhaul RR's 173/4 with 15 balls to spare. One-down Devdutt Padikkal also scored an unbeaten 40 (28 balls) in the big win.
Earlier, RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 75 off 47 deliveries, his second half-century of the season, and shared two fruitful partnerships with skipper Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag.
Jaiswal shared an opening-wicket stand of 49 with Samson (15) and a 56-run partnership with Parag (30) to lead RR's charge.
But it was not enough on the day as RR, clearly off-colour on the field with several dropped catches, lost the plot.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals: 173 for 4 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Riyan Parag 30, Dhruv Jurel 35 not out).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 175 for 1 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 40 not out).
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
