We can take a lot of heart from our performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. While it was disappointing to have lost the game, we did a great job in defending a low score to force a tie. In the end, we have to acknowledge that Hyderabad deserved the win as they proved stronger in the Super Over.
We always expected Dale Steyn to bowl the super over, and even though overhauling their score of 20 against a bowler of his ability was going to be a stiff task, we believed it was possible. Scoring big on the first two deliveries was the key, but we couldn’t manage that even though we could have produced another tie with a six off the last ball.
No repeat
Vinay Kumar was disappointed he wasn’t able to repeat his brilliant final over effort, but let’s not forget that he was instrumental in helping us win the previous game. He will surely come back stronger from this experience.
In any case, we have an immediate opportunity to return the favour as we play Hyderabad again today. We are at home this time so we know the conditions pretty well and back ourselves to respond to the loss in front of our fans. I had predicted that the meeting with Hyderabad would be extremely close. I expect it to be no different this evening.
No secrets
Having just played each other, both teams will know what to expect. We hope the outcome may be in our favour this time. But to enhance our chances, it’s vital for us to put some more runs on the board so that our bowlers come under less pressure. It’s simple, in T20, the more runs you score, the more games you are likely to win. Getting off to a good start will be the key to posting a competitive total. It’s important to create a platform for the middle-order.
No secrets
Having just played each other, both teams will know what to expect. We hope the outcome may be in our favour this time. But to enhance our chances, it’s vital for us to put some more runs on the board so that our bowlers come under less pressure. It’s simple, in T20, the more runs you score, the more games you are likely to win. Getting off to a good start will be the key to posting a competitive total. It’s important to create a platform for the middle-order.
A big fillip for us is the likely return of AB de Villiers. I’m not certain whether he will play, but he is a massive plus for any team. PMG
The writer is a RCB batsman