We have got to pull up our socks, says Kohli

Bangalore: After losing to Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday said the team needed to pull up the socks in its last IPL game against Chennai Super Kings if it is to sneak into the play-offs.

"We have got to pull up our socks and go out to win the last game. We need a good bowling performance because the batting has been really consistent in the tournament," Kohli told reporters in the post-match press conference. "We have put up really big scores and it is all about going out there and defending (the total)," he added. Kohli, who put on 137 runs for the second wicket with Chris Gayle, said the team hasn`t played good cricket in the last few games and the bowling department has been a bit of a worry. "We have to look at the last game against Punjab and try to improve our bowling at the death," he said. RCB need to win the next game at any cost. "Hopefully, the team would put in its best performance in the next game. "Bowling was a bit of a concern last year as well. This year the team thought of picking up more options, but the guys haven`t been able to execute in last few overs," Kohli said. Kohli, who was second behind Gayle in run charts in the 2011 edition, said the wickets seemed pretty slow. "It was pretty slow, ball (was) keeping low and wasn`t coming on to the bat nicely and that is why I and Chris decided to stick around and string a partnership. "The wicket settled down nicely in second innings. Surprisingly, it has always been a ground where it is easier to chase." Replying to a query, Kohli, who was bought for USD 30,000 before the first season in 2008, said Ravi Rampaul didn`t play because KXIP had three left-handers -- Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh and David Miller and hence decided Muttiah Muralitharan would be a better option. "Adam (Gilchrist) batted really well. He just took chances and they all came off," he said. RCB still stand a chance if they win the last game and Sunrisers Hyderabad lose their both matches. "That`s a different story, but all we can do is concentrate on our game and we need to win the next one and then see what happens after that. Really can`t control what other teams are doing but we can control playing good cricket in the next game and just be in a strong position," he said. Punjab did not send any of their representatives for the press conference as they had to catch a flight. PTI