Former Proteas skipper AB de Villiers was undoubtedly the star of the show on Wednesday night as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Kings XI Punjab by 17 runs after being stranded at 81/4 at one stage. While he had the perfect partner in Marcus Stoinis, his 44-ball 82 was the cornerstone of RCB’s fourth win in five games this season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore players celebrate their win
Bangalore:
“I tried to stay calm in the last few overs. It is not easy, the game is happening at a rapid pace. We know our home ground well, it hasn’t been a great hunting ground for us to start with but we are turning things around now. I still think 160 was a par score but it gets easier in the second innings. Our bowlers executed their plans to perfection in the end,” he smiled.
Opener Parthiv Patel also played a nice little cameo (43 off 24 balls) and said that the team has nothing to lose now and that has enabled it to enjoy itself in the middle. “We have nothing to lose. We just go and enjoy ourselves. Earlier in the tournament, we were unlucky not to finish off games. It was about converting performance into results. I have been practising hard. There’s communication between us (him and Kohli). If I strike at above 150, he can take his time,” he said.
Parthiv also pointed at how he looks to guide the bowlers from behind the wicket. “First of all, making sure four people are inside the circle; that’s important. And also having right people in right areas, convey to the bowlers which length is correct to bowl. I try to do that game after game. We have had a few tight games not going our way. Happy to be on the other side,” he smiled.
Speaking after the game, ABD said that he was only looking to stay calm and not get rattled by the situation. While his innings and the partnership with Stoinis was the game changer, de Villiers also praised the RCB bowlers for putting up a good show as it was relatively easy to bat in the second innings.
“I tried to stay calm in the last few overs. It is not easy, the game is happening at a rapid pace. We know our home ground well, it hasn’t been a great hunting ground for us to start with but we are turning things around now. I still think 160 was a par score but it gets easier in the second innings. Our bowlers executed their plans to perfection in the end,” he smiled.
Opener Parthiv Patel also played a nice little cameo (43 off 24 balls) and said that the team has nothing to lose now and that has enabled it to enjoy itself in the middle. “We have nothing to lose. We just go and enjoy ourselves. Earlier in the tournament, we were unlucky not to finish off games. It was about converting performance into results. I have been practising hard. There’s communication between us (him and Kohli). If I strike at above 150, he can take his time,” he said.
Parthiv also pointed at how he looks to guide the bowlers from behind the wicket. “First of all, making sure four people are inside the circle; that’s important. And also having right people in right areas, convey to the bowlers which length is correct to bowl. I try to do that game after game. We have had a few tight games not going our way. Happy to be on the other side,” he smiled.