Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper has welcomed the inclusion of Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera to his team for the second half of IPL 2021 with open arms.
Virat Kohli believes the presence of the incisive spinner and his fast-bowling countryman will be of “huge help” to the RCB in conditions in the UAE.
The know-how of the conditions, Kohli strongly indicated, is partly why RCB brought the talented Hasaranga and Chameera to their camp as replacements for Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa.
“The replacements we have got for those guys are two players who know these conditions,”
The conditions in subcontinent this time of the year are pretty similar. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera are two guys who have played so much cricket for Sri Lanka.”
“And they understand how to play on pitches like these and their skillsets will be of huge help for us, playing in Dubai, understanding how hot and humid conditions can be and how the pitches will play out, they know everything,”
Kohli said during a virtual event on Saturday, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “
Kohli also said Hasaranga and Chameera have “blend” seamlessly into the RCB “team culture” since joining the squad ahead of the UAE leg of IPL 2021. He added that his men aren’t focusing on the absence of players who opted out of the tournament but feeling “stronger” with new inclusions to their arsenal, adding a “few other dimensions” to the playing group.
Among the two Sri Lankans, Hasaranga seems more likely to walk into the RCB playing XI at this stage. His stocks are on the rise because of some crafty spin bowling, an indecipherable googly and smart use of the variations.
For a Sri Lankan side going through a decline, Hasaranga has easily been their most promising young performer. The 24-year-old has played 4 Tests, 29 ODIs and 25 T20Is for his country. In T20Is, the wrist-spinner has taken 36 wickets to his name while carrying an economy rate of only 6.57.
On grounds in UAE, the presence of Hasaranga would also help shed some of the load off experienced leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who might be feeling the pressure of his absence from India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Chameera, the tall express quick, has played 31 T20Is for Sri Lanka in his career with 31 scalps and an economy rate of 7.77. Chameera has slowly but surely improved his control and consistency in recent times and is finally becoming the bowler that Sri Lanka had expected out of him.
RCB have got him at just the right time in his journey, and he could make great use of the uneven bounce on surfaces in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
On the personal front, Kohli said there was “excitement in the air” as he joined the side after a necessary six-day quarantine and got on with his preparations for the second half of the tournament.
“I did not feel that we went away at all,”
he said of his team, adding that he is “very happy” to regain the groove of the IPL.
RCB are one of the better-placed sides heading into the UAE leg with five wins and two losses from seven matches, putting them on the third spot in the eight-team points table. Kohli and company are one of the front-runners to secure a playoff spot and potentially clinch their maiden IPL title.
Kohli said the success during the Indian leg is a “motivating factor” for his side as they resume their campaign on September 20 in Abu Dhabi against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
