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Following his side's win over the Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar hailed his batters' fearless intent and asserted that he likes putting bowlers under pressure without worrying about his wicket.
RCB under Patidar continues to be a gift that keeps on giving to its legion of loyal fans. After waiting 17 years for their maiden title, they sealed their first-ever IPL trophy at Ahmedabad last year and now have made it to their second successive final after a 92-run win over GT. Patidar's stupendous 93* in 33 balls took RCB to a massive 254/5, which GT never looked like chasing, despite some resistance from Jos Buttler and Rahul Tewatia as Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke the back of GT's batting by taking out the top-three in the powerplay itself. Speaking after the match, Patidar emphasised the need for an attacking mindset and good body language, which reflected in RCB's batting. "It was a super game for us, and the way, especially the batsmen have dominated in this game, the way everyone was striking with intent, I think that was good for us. It is not a clear plan (to go after the GT bowlers), but I think we are ready for it because you have to show some body language that we are coming for you. So I think that was there in every batsman. So we had a chat in the meeting. We have to give a good body language and the attacking mindset. It was a big stage, qualifier 1, and the way we played, the way we dominated in this game, I think that was superb," he said. Patidar is enjoying a season of his lifetime this year, with 486 runs in 13 innings at an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 196.76, with five fifties and 41 sixes. Speaking about his batting, he said, "I think the way of my batting is similar (to the rest of his team). I think starting, I take a few balls, 8-10 balls, to see how the wicket is behaving and what the ball is doing. And after that, I think I have a clear mind about how I have to go about it, and I am not worried about my wicket. I always like to put the bowler under pressure." Patidar also said that the wicket was not easy, where batters could get under the ball and hit long sixes, as the bounce was really good. He hailed his bowlers for being exceptional with their stump-to-stump bowling. "The way GT played till now, I think the three main batsmen were top three (Gill, Sudharsan and Buttler), and we were clear that we have to get them out in the powerplay, and hopefully it worked. I think it will be a good recovery and let us go for the finals," he signed off. RCB put on 254/5 on the back of fiery performances from skipper Rajat Patidar (93* in 33 balls, with five fours and nine sixes), Virat Kohli (43 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and Krunal Pandya (43 in 28 balls, with five fours and two sixes). In the chase, GT's batting fell like a pack of cards, with Rahul Tewatia (68 in 43 balls, with eight fours and four sixes) and Jos Buttler (29 in 11 balls, with three fours and two sixes) being the only ones crossing the 20-run mark as GT skittled out for 162 runs. Jacob Duffy (3/39) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/28) broke through GT's consistent top-order, and it was only downwards for the Titans from there. This is the fifth time RCB has made it to the IPL finals, third-most after Mumbai Indians (six appearances and five title wins) and Chennai Super Kings (10 appearances and five title wins). This is also the second-highest win in the history of IPL knockouts, below RR's 105-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) back in 2008. (ANI)
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