Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: In what could easily be framed as a narrow miss rather than a glaring failure, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are choosing composure over criticism after their six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC).Director of cricket Mo Bobat struck a measured tone, emphasizing process over panic. Despite an underwhelming batting display that led to a modest 175/6, Bobat made it clear the team isn’t hitting the alarm button just yet.RCB, one of the more consistent batting units this season, see this outing as an outlier rather than a trend. Bobat stressed that the side will conduct an “honest review” but won’t “over-analyse” a performance shaped heavily by tricky conditions.
The surface at Chinnaswamy, usually a batting paradise, didn’t play to reputation. Instead, it turned sluggish and unpredictable, a factor Bobat highlighted as central to RCB’s subdued innings. According to him, adaptability, not ability, was the real differentiator on the day. Where the game tilted decisively, however, was in the final over gamble.RCB opted to deploy their strike bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, earlier than usual in a bid to claw back momentum. That left Romario Shepherd with the unenviable task of defending 15 runs against seasoned finishers David Miller and Tristan Stubbs.Bobat didn’t shy away from the risk. “Yeah, so there comes a point in the game where you feel like you’re behind in the game. So, to get yourself back in that game or maybe even get ahead of the game, you have to use your champion bowlers. So we felt that we had to bowl both Hazlewood and Bhuvi when we did to make it as difficult as possible later in the game,” he told reporters after the game.“Obviously, that involves a bit of a risk. It’s a tough ask for Romario bowling that last over to two international batters and two international finishers. So it was always going to be a tough ask. But we had to take the game as deep as possible.”With the tournament still wide open, RCB seem more focused on maintaining their identity than reacting impulsively.
