Kohli lauds Padikkal after decisive stand in Chinnaswamy chase

Virat Kohli heaped praise on Devdutt Padikkal and his ability to play orthodox cricketing shots while still scoring at close to a strike-rate of 200. The RCB pair put together a clinic in a chase of 205 against Gujarat Titans, adding 115 runs for the second wicket in just 59 balls. The left-handed Padikkal set the tempo by lifting his first ball for a six and went on to clear the ropes five more times in a blistering 27-ball knock of 55.

It was the second time the pair had combined to help RCB chase down a 200+ total at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season, having also put on 101 off 45 in the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli was quick to acknowledge the importance of reading conditions early, while singling out his young partner's match-winning instincts.

"I mean, we had to assess the wicket early on. Because A, they have a quality bowling attack, and B, with a chase of 200 [206] in Bangalore, we know we're only one partnership away. I think that Dev[dutt Padikkal]'s done it twice this season - where he's come in and absolutely played a blinder from ball one," Kohli said after RCB's victory.

"You know, the first boundary off [Kagiso] Rabada was magnificent. And he has the game awareness and the ability, especially in conditions like ours, to be able to play good cricketing shots and hurt oppositions striking over 200, which is quite rare, to be honest. You never see him slogging the ball. You feel like he's not giving you a sniff in the game and yet he's scoring so freely. So I think Dev's innings was the clear difference in the first half."

With Padikkal racing off the blocks, Kohli could pick his moments to attack and made the Titans pay for dropping him off the first ball with a 44-ball 81 that effectively closed the game. He explained how the two batters fed off each other's clarity throughout the partnership.

"I was just trying to stay in the game enough so that he doesn't feel all the pressure. And it was my responsibility to try and hit boundaries at the right times. Dev was going great guns and the idea was just to keep pressing the bowlers back. And whoever we felt like we want to take down, the message was very clear from the batsmen and then the non-striker saying, yeah, go for it.

"So there was intent and there was clarity and feedback from the other end. So we didn't have any doubts whatsoever through the partnership. And I think that's what worked for us. Yeah, that partnership was the game sealer and the game changer for us eventually," Kohli added.

In the post-match press conference, Padikkal was equally generous, returning the praise to his senior partner for setting the standards of excellence. "I think the biggest thing for me is his energy and intensity that he brings to every single game, every single net session. Although he's achieved everything that is there to be achieved in this game, he still continues to give his 100 percent in every single practice session and every single match that he plays.

"And that kind of commitment is very hard to find. And when you see someone really so driven and so passionate about the game, it really rubs off to everybody in the side as well. So I'm sure his energy is helping everyone in the team," Padikkal said.