NEWS
Follow UsSunrisers Hyderabad’s four-run victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore was the perfect encapsulation of a nail-biter. Having owned the RCB bowling unit in the first half, Sunrisers scrambled in the second half of their innings to end with just 141 on the board, on the back of Jason Holder’s 13-ball 16.
While RCB were reduced to 3/38, Glenn Maxwell’s cameo of 25-ball 40 brought them back in the encounter. However, Kane Williamson’s excellent bowling changes allowed for a miracle comeback from the Sunrisers as they clinched a four-run win under the nose of the Royals. In the post-match presentation, losing skipper Virat Kohli admitted that Maxwell’s wicket was a game-changer in Abu Dhabi.
“The intent should always be to get it done as soon as possible. We don't want to stretch things too deep. Dev and Maxi set things up but Maxi's run out was the key moment for us. With AB you're never out of the game, but it's also a case of keeping the guy in the flow on strike,” Kohli admitted.
RCB’s skipper Kohli also hailed the Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who struck a crucial nine-ball 14. On the bowling front, the 33-year-old praised the leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for regaining his form and added that Chahal has worked on his bowling in the time off.
“Shahbaz I think played a crucial knock at the stage and pulled us back into the game. It's a game of small margins. Things could have gone anywhere and Sunrisers held their nerves to not allow us to get away. Chahal's bowling pretty well now. Looks like he's worked on his bowling with all the time off. Him bowling well is a good sign for the team,” he added.
On the 21-year-old youngster from Jammu and Kashmir, Umran Malik, Kohli opined that it is a great prospect for the Indian team.
“[Umran Malik] good to see a guy bowling at 150 clicks. It's important to understand the progress of individuals from here, how to look after yourself. We've got to maximise the potential of our fast bowling stocks.”