For captain Virat Kohli, watching Yuvraj Singh torment the bowlers was a pleasing sight as he lashed out at detractors of his RCB teammate, saying that people should refrain from writing off cricketers who are a class apart.
The flamboyant southpaw struck form with two consecutive half-centuries in the last two IPL matches after being criticised for a prolonged lean patch.
He was chided following the Indian team’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 in Dhaka as he could manage just 11 runs off 21 balls during the death overs of the Indian innings.
On Wednesday night he hammered nine sixes in his knock against Delhi Daredevils to set up RCB’s win.
“I am glad that Yuvraj Singh has stood up. Lot of people had written him off, which I think should never been done to any cricketer because we never know when one can make a comeback,” he said.
“People should respect Yuvraj since he made immense contribution in country’s win in the World Cups,” Kohli said.
“What a world class player Yuvraj has been for India. It is all about respecting him. He has won two World Cups for us single-handedly. I am really glad to see him stepping up at crucial times for RCB,” he said.
Kohli was also pleased to see contribution from other RCB teammates in the business end of the tournament.
“I am really happy to see that rest of the players also are picking themselves up. Now, we are looking to take one game at a time and not thinking too far away,” he added.
Not worried about form
On his dismal form, Kohli said he is not worried about his performance if the team was winning matches. “I promoted myself up the order because as I said I was trying a bit hard in trying circumstances but now I am relaxed. The players are contributing which is acting as a cushion for me,” he said.
Replying to a query, Kohli said captaincy was not affecting his batting.
“I was captain last year and I scored 680 runs. So, that’s not the pressure I am taking. Sometimes we should accept things the way they are rather than getting frustrated which harms you even more. I have realised that I have to be mature enough to take that in stride,” Kohli added.
