How an uncapped leggie's googlies foxed Kohli, de Villiers

On Tuesday, 2 April, he got both batsmen out with googlies, and was instrumental as Rajasthan Royals decimated Royal Challengers Bangalore to secure their first win of the season.

Gopal, who finished with 3/12, was brought into the attack after the Powerplay and got Kohli and de Villiers out in back-to-back overs. The 25-year-old was delighted at taking the wickets of such big players and called it "the biggest moment" of his career.

"Getting Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in one match is like a dream for any youngster. It is one of the best moments of my cricketing career. Definitely one of [my] biggest moments in IPL cricket," he said during the post-match conference.

"But then, any wicket is a big wicket. Obviously they come with so much name and so much of weight with them. It feels that much more better but I shouldn’t be getting too ahead of myself and [I need to] calm myself down a little bit."

Both Kohli and de Villiers failed to read Gopal's googlies. While Kohli was bowled through the gate, de Villiers ended up spooning the ball back to Gopal off a leading edge while trying to flick it across. He then dismissed Shimron Hetmyer for 1, leaving RCB stuttering at 73/3 in the 11th over.

When asked if the dismissals were planned, the bowler said, "It is very difficult to plan a dismissal for batsmen like them. You just need to be able to bowl your best ball and try and hit the best areas on a particular wicket. There was nothing planned. Obviously the googly needs to go through bat and pad and it happened so that was a big plus to take back from here."

Bangalore were kept to a below-par total of 158/4, before Rajasthan's batsmen, led by Jos Buttler's second consecutive half-century, secured a seven-wicket win.

Goapl said he takes regular advice from experienced international players, including Buttler. "In between the overs, I usually go to Ajju bhai [Ajinkya Rahane], [Steve] Smith or Jos [Buttler] and have a couple of words with them and try and understand what they think about the game because they have played so much more than what I have and they might know in which direction the game is going."

And Buttler's advice is usually simple. His own good form, he said, was down to staying calm. "A bit more experience, knowing yourself a little better ... be yourself and be relaxed. When I'm relaxed I play my best cricket," the Englishman said after the game.

Lead image credit - AFP