Lucknow Super Giants pacer Prince Yadav turned heads once again against Royal Challengers Bengaluru but this time, his performance became even more memorable because of one special wicket – Virat Kohli.
Earlier this season, when RCB faced LSG in Bengaluru, Prince Yadav was one of the few positives for the visitors despite the heavy defeat. RCB comfortably chased down a target of 149 in just 15.1 overs, while Prince picked up three of the five wickets that fell. After that match, the young fast bowler had a chat with Virat Kohli, who had scored 49 runs from 34 balls.
During the conversation, Virat Kohli advised Prince Yadav to keep bowling a consistent off-length whenever the ball was moving. The 24-year-old remembered those words and later used the same plan against the batting superstar.
In the reverse fixture at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, LSG were under pressure in a must-win encounter. The hosts posted a massive 209/3 before rain reduced the contest to 19 overs per side, leaving RCB with a revised target of 213. RCB fought hard but finished on 203/6, losing the match by nine runs. Prince Yadav once again emerged as LSG’s best bowler, ending with impressive figures of 3/33 in four overs.
His biggest moment came against Virat Kohli. Prince first bowled an outswinger that Kohli defended carefully. He then delivered a sharp inswinger at 140.4 kph that beat Kohli completely and crashed into the stumps. The RCB star was dismissed for a two-ball duck and even looked surprised for a moment after losing his wicket.
Prince Yadav celebrated wildly after removing the in-form batter and later revealed that the dismissal was inspired by Virat Kohli’s own advice.
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He said Virat “bhaiya” had told him after the previous match to stick to that moving off-length, and following that guidance helped him in getting the prized wicket.
The victory was LSG’s third win in 10 matches, keeping their playoff hopes alive ahead of their next clash against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday afternoon.
