IPL 2018 | MS Dhoni deserves immense credit for his masterclass innings, says AB de Villiers
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s star AB De Villiers has claimed that Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni deserved full credit after his 70 from 34 helped the visiting team chase down a target of 206. De Villiers further revealed that Kohli and company were extremely disappointed after the loss.
Things haven’t been clicking for RCB this season, who have failed to make a significant impact in the ongoing 2018 Indian Premier League. After six games, they are sitting sixth in the IPL standings after just two wins. Though Virat Kohli’s boys have shown some promise with the bat, their balling has been disastrous.
Their most recent loss came at the hands of MS Dhoni-led CSK who managed to chase down a mammoth target of 206. Dhoni turned back the clock with his stunning knock of 70 runs off 34 balls to help the visitors win the match and top the standings for now. And RCB batsman AB De Villiers added that the veteran Indian batsman deserved praise for his performance with the bat.
"The game was essentially won. After reaching 205 on a slow pitch, and then reducing CSK to 74 for 4 in the ninth over, we seemed within touching distance of a second successive win at home, another step in the right direction, a strong move up the table. MS Dhoni deserves immense credit for what followed; his masterclass innings, of 70 runs from 34 balls including seven 6s, turned the game on its head, led his team to an amazing victory, stilled the Chinnaswamy roar and left our changing room stunned," wrote De Villiers in his column for TOI.
De Villiers also went on to reveal that the team was in extremely low-spirits after the disappointing loss at their home stadium in Bangalore. But he also said that coach Daniel Vettori and skipper Virat Kohli were quick to step in and help the team get back on track.
"How did we lose that match? For the first 15 overs of each innings, we had played great cricket against powerful opponents, but we slightly lost our way towards the end of our innings and maybe we lost our lines at the end of their innings.
"For all our early season confidence, for all our growing belief in each other... amid the grim silence, the disbelief, the glazed staring, this defeat felt truly devastating-...Dan Vettori, our coach, spoke, and spoke well. Virat Kohli then identified what had gone right and what went wrong. Their message was clear: we needed to improve in certain areas, we needed to move on and prepare for the visit of KKR on Sunday. Yet, still, we all sat silent, still stunned by what had happened," added De Villiers.