Loss to Chennai Super Kings a tough pill to swallow: Quinton de Kock

Giving away two maidens in a T20 game is perhaps nothing short of sacrilege. To cap it off by losing four wickets in the last seven balls, simply escalates the matter. Thus, when Royal Challengers Bangalore walked back at the end of their innings with 205 runs on the board, there were murmurs all around that the side was perhaps a good 30 runs short of what should have been the case. (RCB v CSK HIGHLIGHTS)

And it did prove fatal as a masterclass from MS Dhoni steered Chennai Super Kings to a staggering five-wicket win, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, here in Bangalore as they climbed on top of the table in fine style. Dhoni was well assisted by Ambati Rayudu at the other end who paced his innings well to time it along the course of the match. (RCB v CSK SCORECARD)

Quinton de Kock, who had been instrumental in helping his side reach the 200-plus mark, was however convinced that the total was enough to help them keep up with the winning momentum. “We actually thought we’re on par. We were speaking about 200 and so, we got the total we wanted. Unfortunately one or two wickets meant we couldn’t get to a higher total. We thought the score was more than just on par,” he said.

De Kock had slammed a quickfire 37-ball 53, laced with four sixes and a boundary to show for as he and AB de Villiers had set the hosts a perfect platform to up the ante. However, the two fell in the space of 11 deliveries and Royal Challengers Bangalore simply failed to pile on an above-average total. However, with Chennai 74/4 after the ninth over, it didn’t seem that those missed runs would go on to hurt the hosts but the majestic knocks from Dhoni and Rayudu turned the tables around in no time.

“The thinking was, Chennai have got a long batting line-up and we were trying to get early wickets, which we did. The norm against Chennai is to get wickets early or else they’ll bat you out in 20 overs. We gave our best chance, picked as many wickets as we can but… I think us and CSK both played really well. It’s just one of those days when you don’t want to be on the losing side. That’s just the disappointment. Obviously it’s a tough pill to swallow. We’ve got to come back better next time and that’s how it’s going to be,” de Kock added.