'We made 175 feel like 190': Karthik praises RCB's fightback despite loss to DC
Bengaluru, April 19
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach Dinesh Karthik believes his side punched above their weight with the ball and made 175-run total feel like 190 despite ending up on the losing side against Delhi Capitals in a last-over thriller.
RCB posted 175/8 after being put in to bat, with Phil Salt leading the charge with a brisk 63. However, the innings lost momentum in the final phase, as DC's bowlers executed their plans well to concede just 29 runs in the last five overs.
RCB responded strongly with the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the early charge with three wickets in the powerplay, reducing DC to 18/3 and putting them firmly on top. However, the game slipped away in the final over when David Miller produced a stunning finish, smashing two sixes and a boundary to seal the win for DC.
'We made 175 feel like 190, which is all you can do; at no point did we feel that we were run short. We just wanted to fight with what we have. The fighting spirit and attitude shown were very encouraging for us as a team," he said in a video released by the franchise on X.
"It was a tough pitch to bat, and we played quite well for about 75% of the innings. But yes, in the last five overs we probably didn't get as many runs as we wanted," Karthik admitted. "But we bowled so well, we fielded our skin out, we did everything possible, showed the kind of commitment that players have towards the team."
"Krunal and Hazlewood's overs were so good, and the 19th over was on point. We tried to take it as deep as possible. But towards the end, we got two great batters who came in and absolutely smashed it. And that happens in a T20 game," Karthik added.
Despite the loss, RCB continued to stay in second position with four wins in six matches. They will next face the Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 24.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a die-hard RCB fan, this hurts. We had the match in our pocket! Miller just played a blinder. Proud of the team's spirit though. On to the next one. #PlayBold 💪
Respect for Karthik's honest assessment. They did fight like champions. Sometimes you just get outplayed in the last over. The positive is we are still 2nd on the table. Focus on GT now.
Watching from the US, what a game! The tension in the last over was unreal. RCB's fielding was exceptional. That's the kind of cricket we tune in for.
The problem is not the loss, it's the pattern. We start well, middle order slows down, and we end up 15-20 runs short. Coaching staff needs to have a clear plan for overs 15-20. Otherwise, semis will be tough.
True fighter's talk from DK. In IPL, momentum is everything. We lost the momentum in the last 5 overs with the bat, but the bowlers almost stole it back. Heartbreaking finish, but the team's attitude is correct.
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