RCB vs SRH: Decoding Virat Kohli's performance against Sandeep Sharma
After failing in the initial half of the tournament with the bat, Virat Kohli has staged an emphatic comeback. He has been in tremendous touch, currently occupying the fourth spot on the runs tally with 424 runs. However, he will be tested by pace spearhead Sandeep Sharma when Royal Challengers Bangalore face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. Let us decode Kohli's performance against Sandeep.
A look at the interesting battle
Kohli is the highest run-scorer in the IPL, having amassed 5,836 runs from 189 matches at 38.64. On the other hand, Sandeep owns 103 wickets in 88 matches, including a best-match haul of 4/20. So far, Kohli has managed to score 66 runs off 46 balls by Sandeep, while Sandeep has dismissed him five times. It shows Sandeep knows the trick to deceive Kohli.
Kohli vs SRH, Sandeep vs RCB
Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer against SRH in the IPL. Thus far, he has racked up 518 runs from 14 games at a strike-rate of 141.14. The tally also includes 21 sixes and 49 fours. Besides, Sandeep has 21 wickets from 13 games against RCB.
Interesting numbers of Kohli and Sandeep (Powerplay)
Despite being one of the most dynamic players, Kohli takes a few balls to change gears. Over the years, he has scored 1705 runs from 188 matches at a strike-rate of 114.89 in the powerplay. Considering this, Sandeep is SRH's best bet to stop Kohli early on. Notably, he has snapped up 49 wickets in the first six overs at 27.41 in these overs.
What to expect?
RCB are on the brink of qualifying, while SRH will have to win the upcoming encounter to be alive in the race. Interestingly, RCB sealed a 10-run victory over SRH in the previous encounter. Meanwhile, Kohli's recent scores of 9, 50, 18*, and 43 will boost RCB's hopes. It remains to be seen if he gets on top of Sandeep's swing.
