AB de Villiers wicket is the key, says de Kock

The Mumbai Indians batsman Quinton de Kock said his side will have a good chance to win against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday if they get AB De Villiers out early.

Mumbai Indians players during a practice session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Mumbai Indians opening batsman Quinton de Kock, who donned the Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey till last year, was under the opinion that although he knows all the bowlers in the rival camp, he expects a tough competition and things 'will be different.'

"It’s one thing knowing the bowlers, but then actually playing in a competitive surrounding, it’s going to be different. Since, I have been here, we have had a couple of discussions on how we are going to go about it. But at the end of the day, execution is always the key no matter what plans you have. You got to go out there and assess the pitch. They are really good bowlers to go against. They have got some good bowlers in their team that they rely on. We just have to see what we can do to get on top," de Kock said, on the eve of Mumbai Indians' match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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The wicket-keeper batsman said AB de Villiers' wicket holds the key. "ABD is AB. He is a big wicket and if we get him out early, we stand a good chance of doing well in the game. We have spoken about how we are going to get him out and hopefully, it comes off. Hopefully he makes a mistake," the South African said.

On his team's bowling, which is on the best, de Kock said, "It is safe to say that we have a couple of best bowlers in the world, especially Bumrah. He is one of the best death bowlers in the world. I have seen lots of him and played against him. It's all right to be off the mark in one game, but you know that he is going to come back strong. And, a couple of guys like Hardik (Pandya) and Mitch (McClenaghan) are top bowlers."

Read: Bumrah bowls in MI nets sans discomfort, being monitored closely

For de Kock, the focus is always on scoring runs, irrespective of the franchise. "Playing this tournament, no matter who you are playing against, you are always determined to score the runs. Whether it is RCB, Delhi or Sunrisers, I am always determined to contribute towards the team. Just get the team over to the winning side and that’s what we will be doing tomorrow," he added.

The southpaw had words of praise for Rishabh Pant. "I have played with Rishabh. To play an innings like that at the death. it’s quite something to watch. He is capable of doing that quite often. He has a lot of power and a lot of shots. He is a strong boy. I only see good coming out of him. I think he is going to be good investment for India one day," he added.