Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), placed seventh in the points table, is keen to climb upwards, starting with its match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Saturday.
“We slipped up a little,” admitted RCB bowling coach Alan Donald on the eve of the contest. “Momentum is a massive thing. The next three games will be enormous,” he opined. Looking back, the tearaway dreaded in his time said, “We have really fired with the bat but have made crucial errors with the ball.”
The suspense surrounding Chris Gayle’s availability continued. “Chris had a good training session in Bangalore. Whether he will play tomorrow is for Dan (Vettori) and Virat (Kohli) to sort out,” he said. Chris Jordan, who will replace the injured Mitchell Starc, will reach Bangalore on Saturday.
Donald, who earned the epithet of ‘White lightning’ in his playing days, was full of praise for the English all rounder. “Chris has done great things for England in T20 and ODI matches. He is an attacking and aggressive bowler. As one of the best death bowlers, he’s up there and versatile in athleticism. He’s a very good replacement for Starc,” he said.
The former Protean paceman was also generous in complimenting Mustafizur Rahman. “He’s a great find. He’s got a fantastic yorker and mixes his pace well. Bangladesh has been waiting for someone like him and he’s going to be a handful. He’s a smart operator and deserves respect. The tournament is about overcoming good bowlers like him,” said Donald. Of the pitch here, he said, “There’s more bounce and pace on this surface.”
SRH coach Tom Moody said all was well with the team after its last outing proved disappointing. “We have moved on and are confident as a group,” he stressed. On Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form, he said, “All players go through a lean patch. He’s on an upward curve now. His work ethic is excellent, constantly looking to improve. Fortunately, he’s on the way up.”
On the bowling front, his optimism was obvious. “We are confident with our bowling attack. We’ve got the depth. Of course names on paper will mean little when it comes to the actual contest in the middle. We need to execute plans and we are focusing on that,” said the SRH coach.
On the opposition’s explosive opening pair of Virat Kohli and A.B. de Villiers, Moody said, “They can be very destructive and it is important to break their partnership.” He hoped that a few ideas for them would work tomorrow.
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