'If Karthik cannot perform like the way he used to...': Zaheer Khan points out flaw in RCB's batting strategy

Royal Challengers Bangalore gave a close fight to Chennai Super Kings in the high-scoring match on Monday where both teams scored in excess of 200 runs. CSK made 226/6 batting first before RCB scored 218/8 in their valiant chase, losing the match by eight runs. The star of RCB’s chase was Faf du Plessis (62 off 33 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (76 off 36). The duo made 126 off 61 together, however, their dismissals led to a batting collapse. Only 59 was scored in the last six overs as RCB did not get the late flourish it would have wanted.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

Former India cricketer and IPL expert on JioCinema, Zaheer Khan, has pointed out a flaw in RCB’s batting after their defeat to CSK. Zaheer said that with Dinesh Karthik not performing as he did in the past, the RCB batting is completely dependent on Virat Kohli, Du Plessis and Maxwell

“The way Faf and Max batted, especially with Virat Kohli getting dismissed early, we understand the pressure they were under. In the middle-order or to finish, if Dinesh Karthik cannot perform like the way he used to play previously, then these issues will persist all season long as the rest of them are inexperienced,” Zaheer said.

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Meanwhile, Graeme Swann was happy to see MS Dhoni and his team clinch the match in a thrilling fashion.

“For CSK to hold their nerve, I didn’t think they were going to do it with only 4 or 5 overs left, RCB had it in the bag. But they held their nerves and they won the game. Hats off to Dhoni, he came up on top of the two kings tonight.”

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Eoin Morgan heaped praises on Du Plessis and Maxwell’s partnership which almost got the job done for RCB despite a mammoth target to chase.

“This contribution set RCB up to go the whole way. The run rate required was never an issue, huge power of a partnership where he and Maxwell got together 126 off just 61. Really set them up. What I really like about it is that they didn’t allow losing two wickets to hamper the shot selection. They just thought of putting as much pressure as possible on CSK.”

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Ultimately it was the knock of 83 from 45 balls from Devon Conway that proved to be the difference. The New Zealander was also named the player of the match. Parthiv Patel said that whenever Conway performs, he puts CSK into a winning position.

“His batting usually goes this way, he takes some time to settle in at the start but after that, if he plays, he plays for a long time. You need a batter that can score 83 runs on 45 balls and someone who plays on one end for 14-15 overs and maintain the strike rate. We spoke about his lack of contribution on this front prior to the game but whenever he has contributed, he has put CSK in a winning position, which is why they persist with him.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad will face Mumbai Indians on Tuesday at 7:30 pm, live on JioCinema

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