Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered a shocking defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last game. They had scored 205/8 in his 20 overs, but their bowlers once again let them down.
AB de Villiers, who scored a quick 30-ball 68 was disappointed with the innings and called it devastating. Writing for Times of India, the South African said the loss affected everyone in the dressing room.
CSK had made a comeback after being 4 down on just 74 runs in a long chase. The partnership between MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu snatched the game from their hand.
"How did we lose that match? For the first 15 overs of each innings, we had played great cricket against powerful opponents, but we slightly lost our way towards the end of our innings and maybe we lost our lines at the end of their innings," De Villiers wrote.
"For all our early season confidence, for all our growing belief in each other... amid the grim silence, the disbelief, the glazed staring, this defeat felt truly devastating-...Dan Vettori, our coach, spoke, and spoke well. Virat Kohli then identified what had gone right and what went wrong. Their message was clear: we needed to improve in certain areas, we needed to move on and prepare for the visit of KKR on Sunday. Yet, still, we all sat silent, still stunned by what had happened."
De Villiers gives credit to Dhoni for his innings. CSK won that game with 5 wickets. "The game was essentially won. After reaching 205 on a slow pitch, and then reducing CSK to 74 for 4 in the ninth over, we seemed within touching distance of a second successive win at home, another step in the right direction, a strong move up the table. MS Dhoni deserves immense credit for what followed; his masterclass innings, of 70 runs from 34 balls including seven 6s, turned the game on its head, led his team to an amazing victory, stilled the Chinnaswamy roar and left our changing room stunned," he wrote.
Along with De Villiers, Quinton De Kock had played a superb innings for RCB. The scored 53 important runs at the top. "Quinton de Kock somehow found the words. 'Come on, boys' he suddenly declared. 'Don’t be bitter, just be better.' In an instant, the gloom lifted... the ice was broken... and everybody laughed," he revealed.
"The dynamics within an IPL squad, of any group of people working hard to perform under pressure, are often hard to understand, but Quinny’s remark changed the mood and, to a man, we left the changing room with smiles on our faces, still disappointed by the defeat but determined to work harder and, crucially, still excited by our prospects."
