Andy Flower, the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, stated that his team’s greatest advantage in the current IPL season is a diverse bowling attack that is skilled at “exploiting different surfaces.”
The reigning champions will play Gujarat Titans in the expansive Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday after crushing Delhi Capitals in the last game in New Delhi.
“We’ve been very good at taking power play wickets and putting opposition under pressure. We’re comfortable with whatever conditions are put in front of us. We believe we have an attack that can exploit different surfaces,” PTI quoted Flower as saying in the pre-match press meet on Wednesday.
Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the best opening performance for Flower against DC. Together, the pacers reduced the host team to 8/6 during the powerplay phase.
“We’ve got a good mix, experienced swing bowlers, a world-class fast bowler in Hazlewood, and spinners who bring different skill sets. That variety gives us strong options in different phases of the game,” he added.
However, Flower did not lose sight of RCB’s powerful batting unit.
“At the same time, we have strong depth in our batting, which gives the group a lot of confidence. This batting unit can thrive in any situation,” he added.
With 12 points, the Royal Challengers are currently comfortably in second place, but Flower wasn’t prepared to look too far ahead.
“We’ve moved on from last year and are focused on the new challenges this season brings. The players have been enjoying that journey, and tomorrow should be another great contest.”
Flower’s mindset remained unchanged even after the Capitals were completely destroyed at Kotla.
“It’s important to treat wins and losses with a fair degree of equanimity. You don’t want to get too carried away with either. Each game presents a fresh challenge, and that’s how we approach it,” said the Zimbabwean.
Maybe it was because he knew that the T20 format was unexpected.
“It’s important not to get into a mindset of trying to hold on to our position. We want to embrace the unpredictability of the game and attack every match with the right attitude,” he added.
