"He is Certainly Doing Everything That Is In His Control": RCB Head Coach Sanjay Bangar On Virat Kohli's Woeful Form With The Bat In IPL 2022

Virat Kohli is doing "everything that is under his control" but there comes a phase in a player's life when even the first edge is being taken by fielders, RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar said in former India captain's defence after his second golden-ball duck. On Saturday, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat RCB by nine wickets after dismantling the star-studded batting line-up for a mere 68 runs. Kohli, who hasn't scored a hundred in any format for more than three years now, has got out to first ball ducks in successive games with a familiar pattern of dismissals outside the off-stump.

"He (Kohli) is somebody who has consistently performed for RCB. Players go through these kind of rough patches. He started the season really well, nearly hit the winning runs in Pune but then you have an odd run-out or the first edge that finds his bat lands in fielder's hands," Bangar, a long time India batting coach, said.

Bangar side-stepped the issue of Kohli needing a long break because former national team head coach Ravi Shastri feels that he is "over-cooked".

"He is certainly doing everything that is in his control. He is doing his fitness and skills and taking good breaks and not letting the pressure get to him. He has been taking breaks at regular intervals and will continue to do so going forward." Bangar was stout in his defence for Kohli, saying that he understands that people have their opinions since he has been such an important player for India for such a long time.

"Even if you look at South Africa series, the 80-odd that he scored in one of the Test matches was a fine innings," Bangar said.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis feels that losing four wickets for 20 runs in the first four overs became his team's undoing.

"The first four overs,