November 15, 2024
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'Shreyas Iyer was groomed as India captain after Rohit Sharma, not Hardik Pandya or Jadeja': Ex-BCCI chief selector

‘Shreyas Iyer was groomed as India captain after Rohit Sharma, not Hardik Pandya or Jadeja’: Ex-BCCI chief selector

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Shreyas Iyer was being groomed as the next Indian captain after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, said former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad. Iyer, a regular in all three formats not too long ago, is going through a challenging phase after losing his central contract for 2024-25 for not playing in the Ranji Trophy despite the board’s orders. The talented right-hander has not been at his absolute best with the bat in IPL 2024 either, having scored 257 runs in 10 matches. But his captaincy has been superb. Kolkata Knight Riders sit at No.2 in the IPL points table with seven wins in 10 matches and stand a good chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Shreyas Iyer(AFP) Prasad said Iyer was groomed for the leadership role, unlike Hardik Pandya or Ravindra Jadeja. He has a better chance of succeeding at the highest level when he gets the opportunity. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! “Shreyas Iyer, unlike Hardik Pandya or Ravindra Jadeja has been groomed (as a captain). He has come through a system,” Prasad told Rev Sports. The former India keeper-batter said Iyer was ahead of Rishabh Pant when the selection committee looked at options to prepare for the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era. Prasad said Iyer had a pretty good record while captaining India A. “If you go back to the stats, in the last two years, when we were at the helm, Shreyas Iyer led the side (India A). I think out of 10 series that India A played, we won 8. In the majority of those series, Shreyas led the side. He has been in and around as captain. He has been groomed for that particular slot. We felt that post Virat, post Rohit Sharma, you needed someone to lead the side that’s when we started thinking about Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant. But even ahead of Pant was Iyer as a captain,” he added. Iyer first big leadership exposure came in 2018 when Gautam Gambhir quit as the Delhi Capitals captain midway through the season and handed over the reins to a young Iyer. Prasad said Iyer was fortunate to start his leadership career under Ricky Ponting, who was the head coach of DC. “He was fortunate enough to get to lead Delhi Capitals under Ricky Ponting. The grooming process began there. It was unfortunate that DC could not hang on to Iyer as Rishabh stepped into his shoes and did reasonably well. The best part was that he moved away from DC so that KKR could give him captaincy responsibility.” After a shoulder injury in early 2021, the right-hander couldn’t take part in the first leg of IPL 2021 and eventually lost the captaincy to Rishabh Pant for the whole season. He was released and picked up by KKR in the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022. Prasad said Iyer has shown signs of maturing into a very good leader. “He is slowly maturing into a very good leader. It’s very important at the start of your captaincy career to have a good team management. That’s what he’s getting from KKR. He is young, and they are going to invest in him. In the next two or three years, we will see Shreyas evolve into a wonderful captain.”

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Pakistan targets right T20 combination against understrength New Zealand | Cricket

RCB skipper Faf admits being nervous during quick loss of wickets following win over GT

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Bengaluru [India], : Following a four-wicket win over Gujarat Titans , Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis said that he was nervous when his team lost six quick wickets. RCB skipper Faf admits being nervous during quick loss of wickets following win over GT Faf and Virat Kohli delivered an exceptional start with a 92-run stand but lost their next six wickets within 25 runs. However, Swapnil Singh and Dinesh Karthik held nerves to guide the team to a tense win with 38 balls left. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Following the game, Faf said at the post match presentation, “We have been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We’ve been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers. Yes there was a dropped catch but it is the effort that we look for and that was there throughout.” “The games we’ve played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would have been par. Was important we did not look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play. Was a bit nervous . Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the net run rate but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit,” he added. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan and David Miller helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal , Vijaykumar Vyshak and Mohammed Siraj were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis and Virat Kohli putting up a 92 run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmed . However, Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh guided the team to a four wicket win with 38 balls left. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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'Start from zero...': Shubman Gill after Gujarat Titans slump to third loss in a row | Cricket News

‘Start from zero…’: Shubman Gill after Gujarat Titans slump to third loss in a row | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a dominant four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans for their third consecutive IPL 2024 win on Saturday. This was RCB’s fourth win in 11 matches, which propelled them from last place to seventh, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.Chasing a modest target of 148, Du Plessis (64) and Kohli (42) provided a strong start with a 92-run partnership in 35 balls, securing the win with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.Du Plessis’s departure triggered a mini-collapse, as Gujarat struck back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad, leaving RCB at 117-6 when Kohli fell. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (21) and Swapnil Singh (15) then ensured a smooth finish with an unbroken 35-run stand, guiding the team home without further trouble.Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans’s situation remains precarious, as they suffered their seventh loss in 11 matches.After the defeat, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill rued not having an extra bowling option in the side.“It all depends on the wicket, you see the first couple of overs. You get an idea and you play according to that. I think 170-180 on this wicket would have been a good total,” Gill said.“I think how we batted in the powerplay and how we bowled in the powerplay, that made a difference. We would have an extra bowling option (had we not lost early wickets.) Never easy. It’s important for us to start from zero (in the next game), need to move on,” he said.“Many positives to take from this game, need to make sure we don’t repeat our mistakes. It’s all about winning everything we can from here on,” Gill added.

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Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek gets her revenge, beats Aryna Sabalenka in marathon final

Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek gets her revenge, beats Aryna Sabalenka in marathon final

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Iga Swiatek won the women’s singles title in the Madrid Open 2024 after beating Aryna Sabalenka in a humdinger of a final on Saturday. After over 3 years, Swiatek won the match 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) at Manolo Santana. The Pole also avenged her defeat to Sabalenka last year when she lost in another 3-setter. The 25-year-old Sabalenka had the chance to equal Petra Kvitova’s tally of 3 Madrid Open titles, but Swiatek did not let that happen. Swiatek also extended her lead to 7-3 against Sabalenka on the WTA level. It also happened to be Swiatek’s 20th title in the WTA. The opening set turned out to be an absolute thriller as both players earned a break apiece to make it 5-5. But then, Swiatek broke Sabalenka’s serve to take the opening set. Sabalenka had a decent first serve, but a winning percentage of only 30.8 from her second serves let her down. The excitement did not go down even in the second set. Sabalenka went 3-1 up with a break of serve after which Swiatek stormed back into the match. This time around, the Belarusian star held her nerve to take the match into the deciding third set. Swiatek with the last laugh In the decider, both players were just not willing to throw in the towel. Swiatek and Sabalenka converted a break point apiece to make it 5-5. In the next game, Sabalenka fetched herself 2 championship points, but Swiatek saved both of them and took the contest into a tie-breaker. It was also the first tie-breaker between them in 10 meetings. This time, Swiatek had a championship point at 6-5, but Sabalenka did not give up the ghost. Sabalenka failed to convert a third championship point as the match kept the audience at the edge of their seats. But at 8-7, Swiatek converted her second championship point as the curtains came down on the cliffhanger in Madrid. Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: May 5, 2024

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IPL 2024 | Didn’t think I had to bat, was having my cappuccino: Dinesh Karthik on finishing RCB vs GT

IPL 2024 | Didn’t think I had to bat, was having my cappuccino: Dinesh Karthik on finishing RCB vs GT

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Dinesh Karthik revealed how he had to turn into RCB’s saviour yet again after initially not thinking he would need to bat during the match against GT at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on May 4, Saturday. Karthik calmed down RCB’s nerves and guided them to a 4-wicket win against Gujarat. RCB continue to keep their playoff hopes alive as they registered their 3rd win in a row. While speaking to the broadcasters, Karthik revealed that he was having a cup of cappuccino and did not think that he had to bat and was in a pretty chilled out mood. Karthik suggested that he was not mentally prepared and when wickets started tumbling, he had to be ready. “Started with a cup of tea and then after about 4 overs, I had a cappuccino and thought I wasn’t going to bat. I wasn’t padded up, I wasn’t mentally ready, I was just chilling. And then, things happened, and I had to pad up. I was a touch late but managed to make it. It’s a very different sort of pressure, it’s one thing about chasing down totals in an interesting way and all you need to think about is hitting boundaries.” IPL 2024, RCB vs GT: Highlights | Report After getting off to a blazing start, when RCB were at 92 for 1 in the first 6 overs, they started to fall like a pack of cards. RCB went onto lose 6 wickets in a span of 25 runs as they were reduced to 117 for 6. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule HOW KARTHIK HELPED RCB CHASE 148 RUNS Karthik opened upon how he approached the chase after RCB looked in a bit of trouble. He emphasised playing with a bit of caution as RCB had a lot of balls left to chase the target. He also mentioned that it was a good toss to win as the wicket had some moisture. “But if there’s a lot of time, and you need to make sure that you are playing sensibly, it is also the need of the hour, basic cricketing skills come through. Over a period of time, that’s been my strength, so I backed myself. The pitch was initially good to bowl on, being under the covers for so long, there was a bit of moisture. It was sticky, good toss to win, and we bowled very well,” Karthik said. Karthik played a quickfire knock of 21 runs from 12 balls to help RCB cross the line. He had come to bat in the 10th over when RCB needed only 35 runs to win the match. Karthik credited the bowlers for restricting GT to a below-par total of 147 runs, which was crucial to RCB winning the match. He lauded the 92-run stand between Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, in which the duo went ballistic and set up the win for RCB. “Got to give credit to the bowlers. The way Faf and Virat batted, I don’t think you could have played some kind of shots if you were batting first. I enjoyed how they went about things.” Karthik also revealed his chat with young batter Swapnil Singh, who finished the match with a six for RCB. Karthik said how he backed Swapnil to face GT spinner Noor Ahmed and was impressed with his batting. “I told Swapnil to play for the ball that comes in. He asked me if sweep is a good option and I said, ‘If you feel sweep is a good option, back yourself to do it but commit to your shot.’ Then he executed those two sweep shots, which was really good and that was the need of the hour in a way,” Karthik said. RCB next face PBKS on May 9. Published By: Diya Kakkar Published On: May 5, 2024

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'Don't look at the scoreboard and...': Skipper Faf du Plessis explains RCB's batting approach | Cricket News

‘Don’t look at the scoreboard and…’: Skipper Faf du Plessis explains RCB’s batting approach | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s emphatic four-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans marked their third consecutive win in the IPL. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli spearheaded the successful chase of a modest 148-run target, forming a formidable partnership of 92 runs in just 35 balls.Their commanding performance laid a solid foundation for the team’s triumph, achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.However, du Plessis’ departure triggered a brief collapse, with Gujarat Titans striking back with quick wickets. The team found itself in a precarious position at 117-6 following Kohli’s dismissal.Yet, wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, alongside Swapnil Singh, displayed composure and determination, guiding Bangalore to victory with an unbeaten partnership of 35 runs. Their collective effort ensured there was no further drama as they successfully steered the team home.Skipper du Plessis, however, clearly stated that the team’s mantra is to not look at the scoreboard and play the way we want to play.“Been really good the last few games, the way we’ve played with bat and ball. Aggressive with the bat, unbelievable in the field. [Assessment of conditions] There was more bounce in the wicket, we got that information and the bowlers were consistently really good. We dropped a catch but have been really consistent. Something around 180-90 would have been a good score, but we’ve seen the way the game has changed,” Du Plessis said after the match.“Don’t look at the scoreboard and play the way that we want to play. It was a bit nerve-racking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your NRR up. It makes sense from that point of view but it gets to the point when you need to show a bit of calmness and composure – probably around four down, so some lessons to be learned from that,” Du Plessis added.

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RCB vs GT: Glenn Maxwell is most overrated player in IPL history, says Parthiv Patel

RCB vs GT: Glenn Maxwell is most overrated player in IPL history, says Parthiv Patel

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Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel made a strong statement on his official X account, as he called Glenn Maxwell the most overrated player in the history of the IPL after his performance in the RCB vs GT clash. Maxwell hasn’t had the best of IPLs this season and had dropped himself from the team mid-way through the tournament as he took a mental health break. The Aussie all-rounder would return to the lineup in the first RCB vs GT clash where he picked the wicket of Shubman Gill and didn’t need to come into bat as Virat Kohli and Will Jacks got the job done. On Saturday, Maxwell’s services was needed as RCB lost 3 quick wickets after cruising in the powerplay overs of the chase. However, the Aussie star would perish as he tried to ensure RCB were trying to get a better net run-rate in the end. Maxwell ended up scoring just 4 runs from 3 balls but RCB would ultimately hold on to win the match by 4 wickets. Patel would then post the tweet with his bold statement on X. “glenn maxwellâ€æ.HE IS THE MOST OVERRATED player in the history of iplâ€æ#IPL2024 â€æ.” said Patel. glenn maxwellâ€æ.HE IS THE MOST OVERRATED player in the history of iplâ€æ#IPL2024 â€æ. — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 This would create mixed response from fans with some slamming Patel while others siding with him. Patel would also put out a poll asking fans to vote if Maxwell is better as a player for Australia or as an IPL star. Reading your comments, I thought I’d just ask you what you think about Glenn Maxwell. #IPL2024 — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 How well has Maxwell performed in IPL 2024? This would probably go down as Maxwell’s worst IPL season unless he is able to change things up in the final few matches. The Australian all-rounder has scored just 36 runs this season from 8 matches at an average of 5.14 and a strike-rate of 97.29. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule RCB next face PBKS on May 9. Published On: May 5, 2024

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Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli take RCB to win over Titans after bowlers fire

Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli take RCB to win over Titans after bowlers fire

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For the first six overs of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reply, the ball was travelling to all parts of the stadium. The home team were running away with the match on 92/1 after the powerplay, chasing 148. So dominant were they, and GT bowlers so listless, that RCB got greedy. They decided to push for an early win in a bid to boost their net run rate. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli during the match against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2024.(ANI ) Perhaps late, but Titans woke up to the possibility of using the short ball, which was their undoing while batting. Irish left-arm seamer Josh Little, playing the season’s first match, was the only serious bowling option GT had to execute the short-ball ploy. Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell in the 8th over, Cameron Green in the 10th, all holed out trying to attack Little’s short ball. His 4-0-45-4 almost forced RCB off their perch. When Noor Ahmed’s wrong ’un got the set Virat Kohli 42 (27b), RCB were 117/6 and there was panic in the dugout. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! But Dinesh Karthik’s calm 21* (12b) and Swapnil Singh 15* (9b) saved the day as RCB kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a four-wicket win achieved in the 14th over on Saturday. SIRAJ FINDS RHYTHM World Cup-bound Mohammed Siraj rediscovered his lengths (4-0-29-2) on a M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch that had some life in the first half, for a change. Whether it was the effect of the pitch having been under covers due to rain, the grass on the pitch wasn’t just cosmetic. RCB bowlers made the most of the two-paced pitch, using short deliveries to peg back the visitors in the powerplay. Not for the first time, GT endured another poor powerplay with fewest runs – 23/3. Against Delhi Capitals at home, they had only managed 30/4. Even for a bowling-heavy side, GT’s middling performances with the bat have been piling on their agony. Wriddhiman Saha has been Siraj’s bunny and it took no time for the India pacer to catch Saha’s (1) outside edge. Soon, Shubman Gill cut a desolate figure after another failure, his waft on two against Siraj ending up in the hands of point. For a batter who plundered runs at will, 890 last edition, Gill’s indifferent season as captain will add to his misery. After the Hardik Pandya transfer, GT has been without a middle-overs insurance cover and more reliant on Gill than before. But he has been hesitant on which approach to take, leading to his undoing on quite a few occasions. Then Sai Sudharsan (6) fell to Cameron Green’s extra bounce and Shahrukh Khan (37) was run out by Kohli. GT could never truly recover. Rahul Tewatia did try and push the scoring rate, going particularly hard against leg-spinner Karn Sharma. With a 4-4-6-4, he took 19 runs off the 16th over. But the finishing kick never came as GT folded up for 147 in 19.3 overs. EXPENSIVE MOHIT There’s a fine line between trusting an old warhorse and being obsessive with that. For GT it was the experienced medium-pacer Mohit Sharma, who had gone for 19-runs-per-over in the last six overs he has bowled in the past two matches. Gill handed him the first over. Kohli and Faf du Plessis though were far too experienced and transferred the heat on Mohit. Kohli took the lead hitting two sixes, over long-off and mid-wicket. In Mohit’s next over, du Plessis plundered him around the park for four boundaries. Mohit had again gone for 16-an-over. Powered by du Plessis’ brisk 64 (23b), RCB batters stepped on the gas. Their decision to go into overdrive in the middle-overs almost cost them the match though. The day began with Sunil Gavaskar raising the heat, taking on Virat Kohli’s criticism of those who spoke ‘from the box’ questioning his strike-rate against spin. “If you have a strike of 118 and then you get out in the 14th or the 15th with a strike-rate of 118, I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports. “We don’t have agendas.” Kohli again showed good intent against GT’s spinners, although he couldn’t stay unbeaten. We may not have heard the last of Kohli and his batting strike rate.

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Faf Du Plessis Fifty, Bowlers Carry Royal Challengers Bengaluru To Four-Wicket Win Over Gujarat Titans

Faf Du Plessis Fifty, Bowlers Carry Royal Challengers Bengaluru To Four-Wicket Win Over Gujarat Titans

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru pressed the self-destruction button halfway but a blazing fifty by captain Faf du Plessis had enough torque in it to carry them to a four-wicket over Gujarat Titans in their IPL match in Bengaluru on Saturday. Du Plesiss (64, 23b, 10×4, 3×6) and Kohli (42, 27b, 2×4, 4×6), who added 92 runs in just 35 balls for the opening wicket, were in prime touch as Royal Challengers moved past a frail target of 148, braving some nervy moments, most of it their own creation. The win also lifted RCB to seventh place on the table with eight points from 11 matches, and kept their mathematical chances of making it to the play-offs alive. Du Plessis and Kohli dealt in boundaries as the home side racked in 92 runs in Power Play, that contained 10 fours and seven maximums. Both Du Plessis and Kohli were severe on all GT bowlers, as the latter began the butchering with two sixes off pacer Mohit Sharma in the first over. Du Plessis was in no mood to play the role of a sidekick as he waded into left-arm pacer Josh Little with a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 4 in the second over that produced a total of 20 runs. The Titans introduced IPL debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar in the hope of containing Kohli at least, but the ploy was foiled spectacularly. The RCB talisman showed his increasing comfort against spin, clobbering Suthar for two successive sixes. Du Plessis reserved his punitive blade for Mohit, whom he carted around for four fours in the fifth over, as the South African reached fifty in just 18 balls before falling to Little. RCB entered a phase of struggle from there as they lost last match centurion Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green between the sixth and 10th overs for just 20 runs. Little (4/45) and spinner Noor Ahmad (2/23) were the chief perpetrators as RCB slipped from 92 for 1 to 112 for five. Ahmad soon ousted Kohli as RCB were 117 for six but Dinesh Karthik (21 not out, 12b) was cool under pressure as RCB notched their overall fourth and third win in a row of this season. Before RCB batsmen joined the party, their bowlers came up with an immaculate effort on a supportive pitch to bowl GT to a modest 147. There were a couple of good partnerships – 61 between David Miller and Shahrukh Khan and 44 by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan – but the Titans lacked that one big innings or a stand that could have given them a firmer grip on the match. In fact, they seemed distinctly incapable of accelerating even in the Power Play as their top-order batters struggled against RCB pacers, Mohammed Siraj (2/29) and Yash Dayal (2/21) who stuck to a wonderful length. That GT managed to strike just two fours in Power Play offered ample evidence to their struggle and RCB bowlers’ accuracy. The Gujarat side’s Power Play score of 23 for three was the lowest in the segment this season, and it was mainly due to Siraj’s domination upfront. He consumed an out-of-form Wriddhiman Saha with a fine outswinger which the GT opener wafted to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps. Shubman Gill followed soon as his attempted swat to the on-side off Siraj took a leading edge and ended in the hands of Vysakh Vijayakumar at deep point. Green fetched the third wicket for RCB in the Power Play when he jettisoned in-form B Sai Sudharsan, whose feeble pull close to the body was snaffled by Kohli at mid-off. Miller (30, 20b) and Shahrukh (37, 24b) tried their best to drag GT out of the woods with a well-paced 61-run alliance off 37 balls for the fourth wicket. Miller, who was fortunate to get dropped on 23 off Green by Karn Sharma, played archetypal power shots. He punished leg-spinner Karn for a couple of sixes – a pull and a loft over extra cover – but fell to the same bowler when a miscued heave was grabbed by Maxwell at deep. But a bigger misfortune was in store for the visitors as Shahrukh, who backed up a tad too far to Rahul Tewatia’s soft drop, could not beat a throw from Kohli to the non-striker’s end. For the sixth-wicket, Tewatia (35, 21b) and Rashid (18, 14b) added 44 off 29 balls, but the latter’s desire to be innovative against Yash Dayal saw the ball crashing onto the stumps. Tewatia, who punished Karn for 18 runs (4, 6, 4, 4) in the 16th over, departed soon. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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'Had a cappuccino and thought I...': Dinesh Karthik sums up RCB's batting collapse | Cricket News

‘Had a cappuccino and thought I…’: Dinesh Karthik sums up RCB’s batting collapse | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s explosive start, led by Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, set the tone for a thrilling encounter. Du Plessis, in particular, showcased his aggressive intent, smashing the ball to all corners and registering the franchise’s second-fastest fifty off 18 balls against Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Bengaluru.While du Plessis took on the aggressor role, Kohli provided crucial support, resulting in their highest Powerplay score of 92 in the history of the IPL.However, a dramatic turn of events saw Bengaluru lose momentum, slipping from 92/1 to 111/5. Kohli, undeterred by the falling wickets, anchored the innings, losing partners but holding one end firmly.Dinesh Karthik‘s arrival provided much-needed support, and despite Kohli’s dismissal, Karthik kept his calm and targeted Rashid Khan to get things back under control.With Swapnil Singh also contributing crucial runs, Bengaluru’s resilience shone through as they successfully chased down the 147-run target with 38 balls to spare, showcasing the team’s depth and determination in overcoming adversity.Veteran RCB batter Karthik, who hadn’t thought of coming to bat with the way their openers started the chase, gave full credit to Kohli and du Plessis for the four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans.“I started with a cup of tea, then after four overs I had a cappuccino and thought I wouldn’t be batting.” Things happened, and then I had to have a bat,” Karthik said after the match.“[Approach] How to hit boundaries, basic cricketing skills come through. I backed myself to get the job done. The pitch was good to bowl on, having been under the covers there was a bit of moisture.Good toss to win but the bowlers did the job beautifully. The way Faf and Virat batted, I don’t think they would have played the same shots batting first! [Advice to Swapnil] Play for the one that comes in. If you feel sweep is a good option, back yourself to do it but commit to the shot, don’t be half-hearted,” Karthik added.

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