New Delhi [India], April 3 : Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson felt that "destructive" Virat Kohli's early dismissal was "crucial" for the Gujarat Titans en route to an emphatic eight-wicket triumph against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Williamson, enchanted with Mohammed Siraj bowling with "fire in his belly" against his former side, felt the experienced speedster was "deservedly" honoured with the Player of the Match award.
In an encounter thoroughly dominated by the Titans, Bengaluru suffered under the tyranny imposed by the visitors, which began with the opening over of the first innings. After Siraj threatened early by rattling the nerves of RCB's opening pair, Arshad Khan capitalized on the window of opportunity.
With a short of length delivery targeted at Virat Kohli (7), the franchise stalwart got cramped up for room and holed it straight to Prasidh Krishna at deep backward square, silencing the spectators at Chinnaswamy early. Arshad pointed towards the sky, trying to sink in the feeling of dismissing Virat's scalp while RCB, bereft of its star opener, took the first step towards their downfall.
"It was just an instinctive shot--one that Virat has played a million times before. This time, it went straight to the fielder. He's hit it for six plenty of times, he's flicked it along the ground, but sometimes, that's just how the game goes," Williamson said on JioHotstar.
"It was a huge wicket for GT because Virat at Chinnaswamy is incredibly destructive. He has scored around 3,000 runs here and knows how to bat long and play match-winning knocks. So, getting him out early was crucial for Gujarat Titans," he added.
With Arshad drawing the first blood, Siraj didn't waste much time to join the action. He scythed two vital scalps of Devdutt Padikkal and Philip Salt to leave the beleaguered RCB side tottering at 38/3 after the powerplay.
Siraj continued to maintain his economical nature even after being re-introduced in the death overs. With a spellbinding display, Siraj dismissed free-scoring Liam Livingstone to end his indefatigable spell with figures of 3/19.
"Siraj is obviously familiar with the conditions at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He bowled with real fire in his belly, led the attack with aggression, and bowled with some excellent pace. He was deservedly named Player of the Match. While Jos Buttler was outstanding and back to his best in the second innings, Siraj set the tone early on, making a significant impact for GT," Williamson added.
Siraj's influential spell forced the hosts to fold at 169/8, which the Gujarat Titans effortlessly chased down. The visitors trounced the Royal Challengers in Bengaluru with a commanding 8-wicket success.