Virat Kohli, the stand-in captain of RCB in the absence of Faf Plessis was quite critical of the team after their loss to KKR in Bangalore. Perhaps, he is right but that does not change the fact that RCB has probably the most imbalanced side and lack of good batsmen in the middle. It is not of much use if you blame the players alone when the whole combination is completely skewed. It is tough to see RCB progressing to the playoffs with such a combination, leave alone winning the tournament. Kohli livid at RCB’s yet another loss.
Kohli’s words
“To be honest, we handed over the game to them,” Kohli told the host broadcaster after the match. “We deserved to lose because we weren’t professional enough in the field. The bowlers hit decent areas, but we didn’t hold on to our chances. That’s what you call a freebie in T20 cricket and we literally handed them a victory, which for me is not ideal because we take pride in the way we play and tonight we weren’t up to standard and something we are not shy to admit. “[There were] a few instances where we didn’t capitalise during crunch moments. In the field, there was a period of four-five overs where we dropped the chances and that costs us about 25-30 runs in the end.”
All of this is true. Siraj did drop the easiest catch at mid-wicket when Rana had scored only 5. Rana went onto smash 48 of just 21 deliveries. He was again dropped in the very next over. These runs ultimately proved to be the difference in the end.
What is the role of some players?
Ofcourse these dropped catches cost RCB the game but it does not have to be it if only they had good cricketers. RCB’s is top heavy. In an effort to avoid that, Maxwell has started to come in at number 4 but who do they play at number 3? Shahbaz Ahmed. If I were the opponent captain, I will be smiling to see Shahbaz come in at that spot. I will ensure that the bowlers bowl as much as possible to him so that the asking rate raises. What sort of management will send Shahbaz at that crucial spot? What is his exact role in the team? He does not bowl his full quota and whenever he gets a chance to bowl, he is literally shown every corner of the ground.
RCB seriously need to rethink the contribution of Shahbaz. They can very well argue that the unexpected injury to Rajat Patidar has taken their planning for a toss but just one batsman’s injury should not affect an entire side. IPL’s rules state that any franchise is well within its rights to opt for a replacement incase someone is injured.
RCB must realise that T20 is a high-risk game. It simply is not possible to survive with just 3 batsmen. Moreover, Maxwell will have to take much more responsibility than just trying to hit every delivery out of the ground. In 8 games, he has scored 3 50s but in four games, fell for single-digit scores. In the absence of proper middle and lower order, the onus is on Maxwell to bat right through.
Prabhudesai, is he a batsman? If so, what is he doing so low down the order? It is simply poor planning.
Wrapping up Kohli livid at RCB’s yet another loss
With this batting, it is difficult to see RCB progress to the playoffs. Nothing less than a miracle will be required.
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