Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kept alive their slim chances of making it through to the IPL 2024 playoffs with a comprehensive four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (May 4).
Chasing a modest target of 148, RCB got off to a blistering start as the duo of Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli added 92 runs for the opening wicket in just 35 balls.
However, Du Plessis's departure triggered a mini-collapse and the hosts found themselves in a spot of bother at 117/6. The likes of Will Jacks (1) , Rajat Patidar (2), Glenn Maxwell (4) and Cameron Green (1) fell for a single-digit score as Joshua Little managed to claim three of those wickets.
Since the required run-rate was in check, wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) held their nerves and shared an unbroken 35-run stand to take RCB over the line with 6.2 overs to spare.
After the win, Karthik said he did not expect to come into bat following the start their openers had provided.
“The day started with a cup of tea, then after four overs I had a cappuccino and thought I wouldn’t be batting. I wasn’t padded up, I wasn’t mentally ready, I was just chilling,” Karthik said in the post-match interaction.
“And then things happened and I had to pad up. I was a touch late but I just managed to make it,” he continued.
Karthik spoke about the different type of pressure that comes while chasing down low totals when the wickets start falling in a cluster.
“It’s a very different sort of pressure, it’s one thing chasing down totals in an interesting way and all you need to think about is hitting boundaries. But if there’s a lot of time and you need to make sure that playing sensibly is also the need of the hour, then your basic cricketing skills come through, how you are able to hit boundaries without taking risks,” the 38-year-old remarked.
“Over a period of time, that’s been my strengths, so I backed myself to that,” he added.
Karthik also shared his thoughts on the pitch, saying that it was good toss to win. “The pitch was initially good to bowl on. Being under the covers for so long, there was a bit of moisture. It was sticky, tough to start on, good toss to win and we bowled very well,” the wicketkeeper-batter said.
Opting to bowl first, RCB bundled out GT for a below-par 147 in 19.3 overs. Mohammed Siraj starred with the ball as he dismissed the Gujarat openers and recorded the figures of 2/29 in his four overs. Yash Dayal (2/21) and Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) also claimed two wickets each.
“Got to give credit to the bowlers. No matter what the pitch is, to keep the score under the score we kept at the end of six overs is quite a task and I thought they bowled beautifully today,” Karthik stated.
Karthik also praised Du Plessis and Kohli for their stunning batting display and the manner they went about their innings on the day.
“The way Faf and Virat batted, I don’t think you could have played the some kind of shots if you were batting first. Also, the skill that both of them have, I enjoyed how they went about things.”
Swapnil Singh accompanied Karthik as they sealed the deal for RCB. Karthik opened up about his words of wisdom for the young batter, who played the situation perfectly during the chase.
“I told Swapnil to play for the ball that comes in so that the one that goes away remains a dot ball. It looks good but doesn’t get the wicket.”
“He asked me if sweep was a good option and I said, ‘If you feel sweep is a good option, back yourself to do it but commit to the shot, don’t be half-hearted.’ Then he executed those two sweep shots which were very good and that was the need of the hour in a way,” Karthik concluded.
