Fresh off a crushing win over DC in New Delhi, RCB were given a brutal reality check in Ahmedabad as GT, the home team, thrashed them by 4 wickets with 25 balls to spare. This is an important win for GT, as they remain in touch with the top four teams. For RCB, a golden opportunity was missed to go top of the table. It’s a big wake-up call as this is their 3rd defeat in 9 games and they are still well-placed in the table. They had their moments, but faltered in certain areas. We will try to analyse it for you right here.
Losing 6/47 in the middle phase of the game dented the chances of RCB
Put into bat first, Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli came out to open for RCB. Kohli took a special liking to Rabada early on, hitting him for 5 fours in an over. He hit Siraj for the maximum as well. But Siraj struck first, removing Bethell for 5 before Rabada hit back and got rid of Kohli for 28 off 13 balls as both the openers departed in the power play. Despite that, RCB did well as Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar came together and took the score to 59/2 in 6 overs of power play.
The duo added 20 more runs to the tally as RCB reached 79/2 in 7.3 overs and looked good to get close to 200 from here with wickets in hand. Then came the turning point of the match. Rajat Patidar tried to take on Arshad Khan and hit it to the deep backward square leg region, where Jason Holder pulled off a stunner at deep backward square leg. It was a controversial call as replays suggested the ball had hit the ground and him not have control over it. But the TV umpire gave it, and much to the dismay of RCB, he had to go.
This moment opened the floodgates for the visitors as Jitesh Sharma came and went cheaply. Tim David, too, did not last long, and the same was the case with Krunal Pandya. Devdutt Padikkal fought hard with Romario Shepherd, but he too fell for 40, and Shepherd followed suit as RCB went from 79/2 in 7.3 overs to 126/8 in 14.1 overs. They lost the plot here, as Venkatesh Iyer was used as an impact substitute player, and RCB were a bowler short now.
They had to change their strategy and try to bat out 20 overs, eventually being bowled out for 155 in the final over. Some of the shots were questionable as RCB failed to read the conditions on offer, and some were too good balls. When one loses 6/47, it is tough to win games, and RCB found that out yesterday. They will want to look into the areas and get better for the upcoming and treat this as a wake-up call.
Allowing Shubman Gill & Jos Buttler quick runs made the chase easier for the middle order
Chasing 156 for the win, RCB went for broke and opted to search for wickets. They paid the price. While Sudharsan was dismissed for a low score, he was still involved in a 42-run stand inside 3 overs. He made only 6 runs. Shubman Gill stole the show as he took down Josh Hazlewood and the rest. While Bhuvneshwar bowled really well, the others missed their lines and lengths. Too many loose balls were dished out to Gill, and he showed tremendous aggressive intent to give GT a flying start.
Thereafter, Jos Buttler, who came in after 3 overs, carried the momentum and scored 39 off 19 balls after Gill made 43 off 18 balls. Buttler and Gill did not have a big partnership to write home about. But Buttler, when batting with Washington Sundar, got freebies, and they took full advantage of them. Such was the impact of both innings that the duo together made 82 runs in just 37 balls. The game was more or less sealed here only. Yes, Buttler was dismissed when the score was already 92 in 7.3 overs, and the third wicket was lost.
We agree GT’s middle order is a worry and fragile. But because the duo of Gill and Buttler scored so quickly and were allowed to do so, it meant the players coming in the middle order had no pressure of the run rate as they had to go at less than a run a ball. They still wobbled a bit, but had enough wherewithal to keep cool and win inside 16 overs. The damage was done in the power play and beyond, as far as this match is concerned.
RCB needs to find more incisiveness and control in the bowling and at least make a match out of it. Yesterday’s match looked like a one-sided contest in the end. RCB are still doing well, but have areas like these to work upon.
Josh Hazlewood’s rare off-day with the ball and tactical errors cost RCB the game
While Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a great day with the ball, picking up 3/28 and making a match out of it, the same cannot be said of Josh Hazlewood. The Australian speedster who demolished DC in New Delhi was given a brutal reality check by GT. He was off his accuracy with his line and length and was taken to the cleaners. It was the GT captain, Shubman Gill, who started the assault as he hit Josh for 24 runs in a single over, which included two sixes and two fours. This really gave the momentum to the team.
Hazlewood went on the defensive and gave away 56 runs in 4 overs, which is a rarity. He was searching for answers and couldn’t find one because of the balls he bowls. Cricket is a great leveller. A few nights ago, he was the Player of the Match for his 4 wickets, and now he went wicketless and went for plenty of runs. It teaches you to stay humble. Josh bowled too many loose balls and in the slot, which the batters took full advantage of. With RCB already a bowler down, Josh needed to be at his best, but that was not the case again.
RCB were handicapped a little as they used their Impact Player in the batting innings. So, Rasikh Salam was not eligible to bowl. But the RCB think-tank decided suddenly not to give a single over to Krunal Pandya, who was in the original XI and was fielding. It could be due to match-ups, but that decision didn’t make any sense. It meant RCB used 4 bowlers, and the match was over by the 16th over. Using Krunal may have given the defending champions wickets in the middle phase, and the fragile middle order might have collapsed.
RCB will be hoping that Hazlewood roars back to form in the next game, while they make good decisions and not tactical blunders that they made this time. They will want to forget this game and come back with renewed hope and vigour in the next game.
What Lies Ahead
So, RCB went down to GT, and they will be back in action next week, while GT will host table-toppers PBKS on Sunday night in Ahmedabad. Important games are coming up as the IPL is heating up now. Tonight, we will have RR vs DC live from Jaipur. DC with all to do; RR looking to go top of the table. It promises to be an interesting encounter.
Also Read: GT vs RCB: Jason Holder’s All-Round Show Sinks RCB