JOIN USMoments after Royal Challengers Bangalore clinched a nerve-racking victory against Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday, pictures of paceman Dale Steyn lifting skipper Virat Kohli in ecstasy went viral on social media.
The 10-year-challenge, a popular phenomenon on social media that saw people put up two of their pictures -- ten years apart -- right next to each other, had its presence in the Indian Premier League as well. A happy photograph of the RCB duo captured way back in 2009 was placed next to the one clicked on Sunday and was widely circulated.
"I never thought this would be possible after we parted ways in 2010," Kohli told Steyn, looking at the photograph during a post-match interaction. "We are so delighted to have him back in the side. He is one of the nicest to have ever played for RCB," Kohli added.
Though they have come a tad too late, three wins from four games have put the smile back on Kohli's face. The Challengers' skipper had spent the first half of the season searching for answers. It goes without saying that it's Steyn who has injected new life into RCB's campaign.
When RCB thumped Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets ten days ago, they escaped from setting an unwanted record of the first team to lose their first seven games in the league's history. RCB's age-old problem of uninspired bowling hurt them again. Steyn, who came in for the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile, has lifted the fallen shoulders of the attack.
Steyn is a live wire on the field. Irrespective of the match situation and the conditions, the South African, who steams in with his scary eyes and celebrates with nerve-bursting facial expression, is always hungry for wickets. At 35, Steyn, who has been bogged down by injuries, is definitely in the last phase of his career. But in this IPL, the right-arm pacer has shown that his class hasn't deserted him.
Before Steyn's arrival, the Challengers had bagged just three wickets and had given away 403 runs in the Power Play in the first eight games combined. The attack comprising Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee desperately needed a spearhead.
In his first two games of the season, Steyn has picked up four wickets and RCB have bagged seven wickets in the Power Play, giving away just 69 runs in 12 overs. His two-wicket burst against CSK, which included a scorching yorker to rattle Suresh Raina's stumps, gave RCB the ideal start to their defence of 161-run total on Sunday night.
"When you play T20 cricket and get a couple of wickets in the first six overs, that makes a big difference. I thought in the previous games that’s something we were lacking. You can see the difference straightaway when we got a couple of wickets in the first two overs. He’s (Steyn) been bowling really well," said RCB wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel in the post-match press conference.
Parthiv said that Steyn's energy is rubbing off on other pacers. "It helps a lot that he came without any baggage. When we played the first six-seven games, the bowlers were going for a lot of runs. So eventually, they were slightly under pressure. So when he comes in, he comes in with a different energy. As I said, the way he’s been bowling and talking to the youngsters, his experience also makes a lot of difference," he said.