Shreyas Gopal starred in Rajasthan Royals’ first win in IPL 2019 as they defeated a sloppy Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Tuesday. Gopal finished with a spectacular 3/12 in four overs to fold RCB for 158/4 at the end of 20 overs which included the dismissals of the two big guns Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. And with those two crucial wickets, Gopal joined Ashish Nehra in an elite list.
With the two dismissals on Tuesday, Gopal emulated his 2018 heroics for the second time in IPL to become the second bowler after Nehra to achieve it. Gopal had dismissed Kohli and AB at the same venue last season, while he dismissed the South African in Bengaluru in their first meeting in 2018.
“I just feel a little lucky at the moment. Everyone knows that they are world class cricketers (Kohli and AB de Villiers). They are the most destructive players in the world. As a youngster to get them out is one of my biggest days and biggest moments in my cricketing journey. Most of the time it’s just gut feel, I like to show it a lot earlier (bowling the googly). I was trying to bowl on the stumps and didn’t want to give them width. You don’t stand too much of a chance against these players, but when you do, you feel great. The first class season is important for us, doing well there and gaining confidence helps,” said Gopal at the end of Royals’ innings at home.
