Bangalore ride on Kohli's half-century

On a pacy track where Virender Sehwag and David Warner struggled against the new ball, Virat Kohli batted with such serenity in a breezy half-century that Delhi Daredevils were rendered helpless.

Coming in after Tillakaratne Dilshan had been dismissed off the second ball of the chase, Kohli launched six fours off his first ten deliveries. He started with successive boundaries on either side of point off Ashok Dinda, and then laid in to Irfan Pathan, dismissing him for four fours in an over.

Irfan is trying to make a comeback to the Indian team, but looked helpless against Kohli, becoming too predictable with his attempt to bend the ball back in at gentle pace. Kohli took full toll, flicking, driving and glancing him for 16 runs in the second over as Delhi surrendered the advantage of the early breakthrough.

Kohli and Chris Gayle next took 17 runs off Dinda as Bangalore raced to 62 for 1 in five overs. Though James Hopes got Gayle with a surprise bouncer to end an 82-run stand off 43 deliveries, Kohli casually flicked the next delivery for four past square leg to bring up his fifty in 31 balls. The chanceless innings at No. 3 showed the kind of damage Kohli can do upfront when he has time and can pierce the gaps during the field restrictions.

Though Morne Morkel got Kohli to play on, reducing Bangalore to 96 for 4, the emphatic start meant the lower order could scrape around to get the remaining runs with three deliveries to spare.