Royal Challengers Bangalore has thrilled spectators with its penchant for matches which go down to the wire. Captain Virat Kohli, however, could do without the dramatic finishes.
“We’re happy to win in the Super Over, but we should not have been in that position, to begin with. We lacked common sense in the death overs. We have to pull up our socks. It’s important to stay calm, so that we can think better in the end overs. If there’s a rush of blood, you can end up making it difficult for the team,” said Kohli, after RCB’s win over Delhi Daredevils here on Tuesday.
Kohli’s wicket nearly cost RCB the chase, and the skipper was visibly annoyed when he returned to the dug-out. “I was angry because I was the set batsman and I wasn’t getting enough strike. If I had got to face about six to seven balls on the trot, things could have been different. I could have gone after the bowling in the 18th over,” he said.
Delhi Daredevils’ skipper Mahela Jayawardene said the team was “getting close” to breaking the streak, but added it was crucial to develop the killer instinct required to finish games. “On some occasions, in previous matches, things haven’t gone our way, so the guys will doubt their decision-making ability. We are encouraging our guys to take good decisions, and then back them up… We haven’t been clinical with our finishing,” he said.
He clarified that since opener Virender Sehwag was not on the field in the last three overs of the match, he wasn’t eligible to bat in the Super Over.
