On this Day in 2017: The Gayle-Kohli liaison guide RCB to victory

After having suffered three losses on the trot, Royal Challengers Bangalore faced the stern test of Gujarat Lions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. Earlier upon winning the toss, Suresh Raina opted to field first, on a track which predominantly assisted the chasing side.

Chris Gayle's blitzkrieg, Virat's well-constructed half-century and Kedar Jadhav's cameo powers RCB to a mountainous total 

RCB started the innings with the right earnest with Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle adding 50 runs within the 7th over. The duo of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, who have orchestrated myriads of batting performances over the years, employed a measured and cautious approach. 

The Universe Boss started to cut loose in the 8th over; scoring 21 runs off Jadeja's over. The West Indian batsman reached his half-century in just 23 balls after effortlessly depositing the ball into the stands of a Shivil Kaushik delivery. The skipper played the role of a perfect foil and anchored the innings at the other end. The Gayle-Kohli liaison crafted a 100-run partnership in the 11th over. The ploy to use two left-arm spinners backfired, with Chris Gayle still at the crease. The Southpaw was at his bludgeoning best against a potent attack of Gujarat Lions. Basil Thampi, introduced into the attack, struck immediately trapping Chris Gayle leg before wicket.

However, Kohli continued to lay the foundation that would help the incoming batters to pile up a mountainous total. The skipper brought up his half-century in 43 deliveries  - his 28th in the IPL. In the 16th over, Dhawal Kulkarni gave the skipper a breather by accounting for Virat Kohli. Travis Head and Kedar Jadhav added a vital 54-run partnership for the third wicket, helping the visitors pile up a mammoth total of 213 runs. 

Yuzvendra Chahal and Pawan Negi - The Spin Twins

In reply to the chase, RCB resorted to a unique strategy, with Pawan Negi and Yuzvendra Chahal beginning the proceedings. The move reaped rewards as Dwayne miscued the hoik and holed out to the deep mid-wicket fielder. The skipper joined Brendon McCullum in the middle, The Southpaw straight away showed some intent; scoring two consecutive sixes. Thanks to Yuzvendra Chahal's erudite bowling, Suresh Raina departed in the 4th over. 

Reduced for 38-2 inside the powerplay, Aaron Finch joined forces with Brendon McCullum in an attempt to reconstruct the run-chase. Brendon McCullum displayed a wide array of shots, inflicting fear into the opposition camp. The duo stitched together a 66-run partnership. Just when the game was tilting towards the home side, Pawan Negi castled Aaron Finch with his loopy flighted delivery. In the next over, Sreenath Aravind dismissed Dinesh Karthik with the score on 106 for four in the 10th over. McCullum, however, continued to exhibit stroke play of the highest order. The skipper introduced his trump card in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal, the wily leg-spinner lured him with his flighted delivery and forced him to impose a false shot. The pressure of a rapidly rising asking rate proved too much for Gujarat Lions. 

Ishan Kishan's blitz proved too late for the home side, as Royal Challengers Bangalore effortlessly defended the target. The spin alliance between Yuzvendra Chahal and Pawan Negi was the silver lining of RCB's victory against Gujarat Lions. The win also put a break to a three-match losing streak. 

DID YOU KNOW?

In the following game, Chris Gayle etched his name in the record books; becoming the first player to reach the 10,000 run mark in T20 cricket.

Comparison of the spinners - 

The Gujarat Lions spinners conceded 93 runs from bowling 7 overs with an economy rate of 13.28 where as, RCB spinners did a good job with the ball by giving away 52 runs from 8 overs with an economy rate of 6.50. 

Earlier in the day, on a track which assisted the slower bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivil Kaushik failed to assess the condition and banked on a flatter trajectory. Whereas, the RCB spinners leaned more on extracting turn from the surface. The spin bowling annex of RCB made a huge difference in the game.