Our guys have fought brilliantly over the last 10 weeks: Andy Flower

With one win in seven games, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s qualification chances had remained in single digits heading into the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. But that’s where they turned their season around with spirited displays, starting from the top - Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli - putting on a show together, scoring 707 runs, the most for a partnership this year. 

Kohli, in particular, was made of different gravy. The former Indian skipper showed his new range in a much more aggressive batting avatar, scoring 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.7, his highest in an IPL season.

Just when it felt like that side from Bengaluru had momentum on their side, they crumbled under pressure in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals on May 22 (Wednesday), where they lost by four wickets in the 19th over, defending 173.

In the post-match press conference, RCB’s head coach, Andy Flower, credited the leadership group for showing nerves of steel and inspiring a fascinating comeback. 

"I think our guys have fought brilliantly over the last 10 weeks to come back from our first half of the tournament was a great effort and I certainly would pay tribute to Faf du Plessis for his captaincy and Faf and Virat for the way they've led from the front as role models and professional sports people,” Flower said in the post-match press conference.

“But also the way they've played. They both really been great role models for everyone else and the rest of the boys fought really hard to get us back into the tournament,” he added. 

Interestingly, when questioned about RCB’s pace battery at the Chinnaswamy, Flower insisted that only ‘highly skillful’ bowlers can survive in the harshest bowling conditions, with short boundaries and a very good batting track.

That’s where Yash Dayal came clutch for the Bengaluru-based side. He took ten wickets at the venue, averaging 22.7 while still stemming the run rate down to just 8.4 when he bowled. 

"As far as recruitment for next year, it's a bit early to talk about that. Quite frankly, I don't want to talk about that yet. I do think though the Chinnaswamy has some particular qualities that we need to be able to exploit. You certainly need highly skillful bowlers at Chinnaswamy. Simply pace is not going to be the answer there. You need skillful, intelligent bowlers and people that can bowl to really specific plans at Chinnaswamy,” he insisted on recruitment for next year’s IPL. 

However, on the batting front, RCB’s coach wants more batters who can keep up the tempo, considering how the format has increasingly become lopsided towards the batters. 41 times this year, teams have crossed the 200-run mark, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) going one step ahead, breaching the 270-run mark twice in the competition. 

"And I think we've all seen how the power game has affected T20 cricket recently. So on the batting front, you certainly need to recruit batsmen with that sort of power that can keep up that sort of tempo."

Much of the debate and speculation over the last week have been over who could potentially take over Rahul Dravid’s reign as India’s next head coach. While Justin Langer flirted with the job, he has since made it clear that he wouldn’t want to stay away from home for far too long a time. 

Speculation has been rife that five-time IPL-winning coach Stephen Fleming could be shortlisted for the job, although the rumours are still in the air. Andy Flower, who has overseen multiple IPL franchises, including RCB, is another name that could potentially interest the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

But the 56-year-old put his feet down, stating that he won’t be applying for the Indian job, indicating he’s very happy with his role in the franchise league.

“I haven’t applied and I won’t be applying [for the India job]. I am happy with my involvement in the franchise league at the moment. I am really enjoying it. It’s fascinating stuff and I have worked with some amazing organisations and I am happy with that at the moment,” he added.

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