While the result in Qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai was a little disappointing, I don't think there is too much reason for us at Royal Challengers Bangalore to be totally disheartened by the turn of events.
When you want to win a tournament, you need to beat the best. We came very close to doing so on Tuesday.
Possibly, we lost out in the last few overs of the match. We did really well for the first eight overs of their run chase after putting up a big total, but then, there was a momentum shift and the game ran away from us.
Decisive elements
One must also give a lot of credit to Suresh Raina, and the way he pulled off the chase under great pressure. His stands with Badrinath and Dhoni were the key. Having said that, I must reaffirm my delight with the spirit and the commitment of the boys at RCB.
Once again, Virat Kohli played exceptionally well. He started in customary fashion, working the gaps, but in the last 20 deliveries, he was positively destructive. Virat has performed similarly, both for RCB and for India in the past, and has shown that he is someone who can be a part of this for a long, long time. I was also impressed with the attitude and approach of Mayank Agarwal. He showed a lot of maturity and, going forward, I am excited at what he can do not just for RCB in time to come, but also for Karnataka.
No second chance
We are down to the last two games of IPL-IV, and from now on, there will be no second chances. Our match against Mumbai Indians on Friday, in Qualifier 2, is a knock-out game, effectively a second semifinal for us, but we must approach it like a normal game.
Mumbai Indians have shown a distinct vulnerability more than once this season. We would like to exploit that propensity of theirs to crack under pressure.
Mumbai's performances revolve around the big man, and it will therefore be important to get Sachin early.
Last year too, we played Mumbai in the semifinals.
We were on the wrong side of the result then, but the way Mumbai have batted this season compared to last season is completely different, and I feel we have a very, very good chance to go through to the final and have one more crack at Chennai, in their own backyard where they have been unbeaten this season.
Hawkeye Communications
