Veteran all-rounder Krunal Pandya gave Royal Challengers batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik credit. After his gritty knock against the Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru’s improved batting strategy kept the team in the hunt and eliminated the five-time champions from the IPL playoffs.
In a tight chase that RCB completed with the last delivery, Krunal, batting almost entirely on one leg and suffering from severe cramps, hammered an undefeated 73 off 46 balls.
According to Krunal, the team’s batting performances over the past two seasons have been greatly influenced by Karthik’s behind-the-scenes work with the hitters.
“If you look at last year and even this year, despite the ups and downs, a lot of credit goes to DK. He has spent a lot of individual time with each player, understanding their strengths and weaknesses and working on them. He’s always there for the batters. So yes, there’s no doubt a lot of credit goes to DK for how we’ve batted as a unit,” PTI quoted Krunal as saying at the post-match press conference on Sunday.
The left-hander disclosed that meticulous preparation for matchups and execution during crucial moments were the reasons behind RCB’s clarity under duress.
“We’ve discussed that if there’s one bowler you fancy and feel you can take down, just play out those six balls properly. In that situation, I was set. I was in. And I realised it was becoming very difficult for me to run ones and twos because of the cramps. So I thought, ‘okay, let me just stand and face all six balls’ and capitalise on whatever I can,” Krunal said.
Krunal, who has batted in a variety of places during his IPL career, stated that he likes to assume responsibilities under trying circumstances.
“I feel good that the team trusts me to do different roles. Whenever I bat, I ask myself what the situation is and what the team needs at that moment. I’ve never focused on personal milestones. I always try to understand the team situation and how to approach it in the simplest way possible. And, honestly, however tough the situation is, somewhere I enjoy it,” he said.
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar also made a pivotal contribution with a crucial first-ball six in the final over after earlier delivering another successful new-ball spell of four wickets while giving up just 23 runs. RCB eventually scrambled the two runs needed off the final ball to complete a dramatic victory.
