Following yet another disappointing batting display resulting in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s fourth defeat in five games, head coach Andy Flower acknowledged the deficiency in runs on a Jaipur surface that became more favorable for batting with the onset of dew.
Despite Virat Kohli’s stellar IPL century, RCB’s batting lineup failed to deliver collectively, leaving Kohli to shoulder the bulk of the scoring responsibilities.
Posting a total of 183 runs on the board, RCB witnessed Rajasthan Royals comfortably chase down the target, propelled by Jos Buttler’s century and Sanju Samson’s half-century.
Addressing the lack of intent in batting, Flower was candid in his assessment, emphasizing the necessity for a higher level of aggression from the team.
“We emphasize strike rates and aggression as integral to T20 understanding,” Flower stated during the post-match press conference.
“Maintaining a level of aggression beyond a certain threshold is crucial, continually exerting pressure on the opposition.
Especially on surfaces like today, opting for aggression is imperative.
Currently, except for Virat, our top five batters are struggling to find form.
It’s a challenging situation.
Despite their efforts and dedication, they’re not performing up to par.
To turn things around, we need them firing.”
Kohli’s century, albeit the joint-slowest in IPL history, stood out as a lone effort, although skipper Faf du Plessis contributed with a commendable knock.
The promising century-opening partnership had initially set RCB on course for a score exceeding 190, possibly even reaching the 200-run mark.
However, after the partnership was disrupted, RR’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, alongside the left-arm pace of Nandre Burger, tightened the noose on RCB’s scoring rate.
The pitch’s slower nature in the first innings provided an advantage to RR’s bowlers, a factor they capitalized on effectively.
The dew factor in the latter part of the match eased RR’s chase, although RCB commenced the second innings positively with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s early dismissal.
The two-paced pitch conditions observed during the first innings persisted initially in the chase, but RR navigated through that phase adeptly.
With dew being a consistent factor in Indian conditions, Flower acknowledged that RCB needed an additional cushion of 15-20 runs to stay competitive.
He lamented the subpar finish to the innings despite the solid foundation laid by the opening partnership.
“We fell short on runs given the promising start we had.
Being at 107/0 in the 12th over, we should have aimed for a score of over 200 on a favorable pitch.
Although we commenced well with the ball, Topley, Yash, and Siraj were outstanding initially.
However, the last over of the powerplay cost us crucial momentum.”
With only two points from five games, RCB faces a challenging path ahead to secure a playoff spot.
Flower acknowledged the pressing need for the team to elevate their performance, considering the aggressive batting displayed by other teams in the league.
The implementation of the impact player rule has further intensified batting aggression, necessitating RCB’s adaptation to the evolving dynamics of T20 cricket.
Faf du Plessis echoed Flower’s sentiments during the presentation ceremony, emphasizing the contrasting batting conditions between the two innings and the missed opportunities to capitalize on the favorable pitch conditions.
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