Twenty20 cricket is fast becoming a stage for explosive batsmen but Virat Kohli reminded fans of the value of building solid partnerships and rotating strike after taking Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the Indian Premier League summit.
Kohli made a steady 51 while Krunal Pandya sparkled with an unbeaten 73 from 47 balls as Bengaluru beat Delhi Capitals with six wickets and nine balls remaining on Sunday.
The duo put on 119 runs for the fourth wicket and Kohli said it had given his team the perfect platform to seal their seventh victory of the campaign.
"People, I think, are forgetting the importance of stitching partnerships or going deep into the innings in T20 cricket," the former India captain said after helping his side chase down 163 on a two-paced surface.
"I think this year, you're seeing that you can't just come out and tee off from ball one. You need to have professionalism, to read the situation and try and get into a position where you can start dominating the bowlers.
"For that, you need to string a partnership. It won't come easy on a slow pitch if you don't know how to rotate the strike. So that's pretty much my method."
Kohli's half-century was his sixth of the season and fourth while chasing, taking his run tally this season to 443.
"Whenever there's a chase on or there's a situation I go in, I keep checking with the dugout whether we're on course, what is my role, what is the kind of innings I need to play," he added.
Bengaluru will host five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.