It feels good to be on top but we’re keeping our fingers crossed about the rest of the games. The one against Delhi on Thursday is crucial because we have a six-day break after it, and that's a really long rest by IPL standards.
I know people are saying we’ll be up against Delhi, who're desperate because they're in a must-win situation and we’ll need to avoid complacency. But there’s no question of that.
Delhi have a quality batting line-up. And then, our philosophy is simple — every game is a must-win. If we want to win the IPL, there’s no question of sitting on mini-laurels. Having said that, I still think that those responsible for the victories at each step of our IPL journey should be recognised, like the two youngsters in the last game — Robin Uthappa and Vinay Kumar.
The two are different in background, temperament and perhaps, even in their approach, but are united by cricket. They are an integral part of the Karnataka set-up and, this season, of the Royal Challengers.
Against the Super Kings, Robin really came into his own — he was the archetypal game-changer. He is someone who can smash the ball and he did just that, clearing the fence at will. We worry about him sometimes, as he tends to try too many things but on Tuesday, they all worked and he was unstoppable.
{{/usCountry}}Against the Super Kings, Robin really came into his own — he was the archetypal game-changer. He is someone who can smash the ball and he did just that, clearing the fence at will. We worry about him sometimes, as he tends to try too many things but on Tuesday, they all worked and he was unstoppable.
{{/usCountry}}Vinay isn’t flamboyant and appears to be innocuous because he lacks express pace. But he more than makes up for that with subtle variation of line and length and a very good bouncer that he uses cannily.
He’s a team man with a great attitude and doesn't get flustered while facing big names or in pressure situations.
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