Virat Kohli is more than aware of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's penchant to go for the impossible and was admittedly "scared" with the former India captain's last over pyrotechnics during an IPL encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.
He smashed an unbeaten 84 off 48 balls and nearly got the required 26 runs off the last over bowled by Umesh Yadav before Parthiv Patel's 'Dhoni like calm' behind the stumps ensured RCB's victory by one run.
Understandbly skipper Kohli went through a range of emotion as he spoke about Dhoni's exploits and how impressive the bowlers were till 19th over.
"Feels good to win a game by a small margin. We've lost a couple by small margins. MS did what he does best and he gave us all a massive scare. Off the last ball, that was the last thing I would have expected to happen. There was a whole lot of emotion," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
In fact in the 19th over, Dhoni couldn't hit young Navdeep Saini, who hit the back of length and kept the seasoned campaigner quiet.
Kohli was all praise for Saini, who is one of the five stand-bys for the ODI World Cup in England as well as the designated net bowler.
"They (bowlers) showed a lot of composure playing against a side like CSK. We were outstanding with the ball until the 19th over mark. Defending 160 on that sort of pitch and the amount of dew we had was an outstanding effort.
"Especially Saini, playing his first season (he was in the side last season but didn't play). He's shown a lot of heart. He bowls with pace and understands his limitations. He's come along well for the team. Hope he keeps fit and keeps bowling fast which is his biggest strength," the skipper had good words for the youngster.
Kohli said that the track wasn't a typical Chinnaswamy wicket, where 200 runs is there for the taking.
"In the first six overs, we thought the ball wasn't coming onto the bat that much. PP (Parthiv) and AB (De Villiers) started to rebuild. At the halfway mark, we thought 175 would've been a very good total on this pitch. We thought we were 15 short."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
