Faf du Plessis will “sleep easier” after the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore ended their six-match losing streak by beating the in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs, in Hyderabad. After Rajat Patidar’s 50 off 20 took RCB to 206 for 7, they restricted the home side to 171 for 8, thanks to spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh, who combined to take four wickets early in the game. With this win, RCB have kept their playoffs qualification hopes alive.
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are all smiles after RCB ended their six-game losing streak•AFP/Getty Images
“Obviously we know that the Chinnaswamy, that’s been a real frustration for us. It’s a difficult ground to bowl at, to be honest. It’s not the easiest ground. Spinners feel like it’s a challenge. We are trying to find a recipe where we feel like we can bowl at that ground. But it’s been tough for the guys to find a formula that works. When you get grounds like this which is little bit bigger and there is little bit purchase in the wicket… Karn [Sharma] was amazing. A legspinner, I feel even more so now in T20, you have to have a legspinner in your team,” he said.
RCB’s last win came exactly a month ago against Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy where they had chased down 177. On Thursday, against high-scoring SRH, Green felt their decision to bat at the toss was a brave one.
“We always have to celebrate little wins and we feel pretty good now. Always nice to be back to winning ways. It was [a brave call to bat first]. I definitely wasn’t in agreement with [batting first] so credit to the captain and coach. SRH have been batting beautifully when they bat first – that was the main reason,” Green said.
After a few quiet games, the Australia allrounder fired in all departments on Thursday, first scoring an unbeaten 37 off 20 at No. 5 and then returning 2 for 12 in two overs. He also took a crucial, sharp catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen off Swapnil’s bowling to leave SRH 56 for 4 inside the powerplay.
“I am still young in my career so I’m trying to figure it out myself,” he said of his ideal batting position in T20s. “Of course, I like to bat up the order but it depends on what the team needs. I’m trying to learn myself. [On the Klaasen catch] I think the whole time I kept thinking ‘Klaasen, Klaasen’ in my head. It was up there for a while, happy I hung on to it.”
