Don’t feel like wearing the orange cap: Virat Kohli after RCB’s third loss in 4 matches

Virat Kohli smashed 92 off 62 balls to become the highest run-scorer in Indian Premier League history but his efforts could not halt Royal Challengers Bangalore’s slump. His unbeaten knock went in vain as Bangalore went down to the Mumbai Indians by 46 runs on Tuesday.

Peeved by yet another loss, the RCB captain said his personal run record didn’t matter as much.

“I don’t feel like wearing this (orange cap) right now because it really doesn’t matter,” said Kohli, who is top of the IPL batting chart with 201 runs in four games this season.

“We tried our hardest but couldn’t get the breakthroughs,” Kohli said on his team letting Mumbai score 213 after batting first. It was Bangalore’s third loss in four matches.

Kohli’s innings took his IPL total to 4,619 runs in 153 matches, putting him ahead of Suresh Raina of Chennai Super Kings on 4,558.

The 29-year-old Kohli has been with Bangalore since the IPL started in 2008, but has not won a single title.

Meanwhile, RCB head coach Daniel Vettori lamented Hardik Pandya’s escaping dismissal on a DRS referral and said it cost the team another 20-30 runs.

“Things also went against us. Hardik’s dismissal, had we got him, may be they would have been 20-30 runs short. It does make a difference in the final score, said Vettori.

He said Washington Sunder and Yuzvendra Chahal were defensive while their MI counterparts were more attacking in their approach.

“I think with Washington and Yuzi, they were probably in defensive position with Rohit and Lewis being very aggressive. When Mumbai spinners came on, their team was in a good position and that allowed them to actually bowl and be a little more attacking.

“We saw the rewards that they got. So, it’s different styles of bowling. Mumbai were on top when they came into bowl but we weren’t able to do a similar thing,” he signed off.

With inputs from agencies