Josh Hazlewood holds nothing back after RCB's latest flop show at home: 'We've been slow on learning'
Josh Hazlewood spoke in detail about RCB's disappointing defeat at home to Punjab Kings in a rain-curtailed match on Friday.
Josh Hazlewood didn’t mince his words after Royal Challengers Bengaluru slumped to their third consecutive defeat at home, citing an atypical Chinnaswamy surface and the team’s slow grasp of lessons from earlier games as key reasons behind their latest setback.
In a rain-shortened 14-over clash on Friday, RCB fell to a five-wicket loss against Punjab Kings, following previous defeats at the same venue to Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals. Hazlewood, one of the senior members in the squad, felt the team hadn’t adapted swiftly enough.
“Yeah, it's obviously three (defeats) in a row now at home. It's just we've probably been a bit slow on the learnings from the first two games and didn't put that into practice as well as we could have, probably in those first probably six to eight overs, obviously, with the score the way it was,” he said after the match.
The conditions, too, have not helped. Known for being a batting paradise, the Chinnaswamy wicket hasn’t played to its usual reputation this season — something Hazlewood was quick to point out.
“Yeah, I think it's not a typical Chinnaswamy wicket. Obviously, the bounce has always been there, but in past years, it's probably been more consistent.”
RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik had also voiced dissatisfaction with the 22-yard strip following their loss to Delhi, stating that he intended to raise the issue with the curator. Hazlewood’s remarks now appear to echo those concerns.
Hazlewood on bowlers
Despite the setbacks, the Australian seamer struck a note of cautious optimism, pointing to visible improvement with the ball. “I think the bowling definitely improved from the last two outings. So sort of we're slowly getting there, but probably not quick enough.”
Looking ahead, Hazlewood emphasised the need for thorough introspection. “We'll dive into this game and probably more so when we get back to Bangalore, and really go through in detail and with a fine-tooth comb and come up with a few ideas of where we can learn and improve.”
He also had a message for the batting unit, urging them to take more time assessing conditions instead of swinging blindly. “So maybe it might be a case of pulling back a touch and giving yourself a little bit of time… If we can have our top five, top six doing the batting for the 20 overs, I think that'll go a long way to helping us win.”
