IPL 2019 | Unlikely to see many changes against Mumbai Indians, says AB de Villiers
BCCI
AB de Villiers has stated that RCB are a very balanced side this season and it is highly unlikely that they are going to make many changes against Mumbai Indians. The South African has also added that the Law 41.16 is still a grey area and Ravichandran Ashwin was operating within the laws.
From the way RCB batted in the first match against Chennai Super Kings, it was clear that the team, as usual, was heavily dependent on their top-order. With no big-ticket bowler in the line-up, it is believed that the season is not going to be kind for the Bangalore-based franchise, but AB de Villiers clearly doesnât think so.
âWe are playing under pressure not only because, as ever, we want to excite our own supporters but also because of the disappointing defeat in our opening match against CSK. That's no problem. Our preparations this week have focussed on nothing more clever or complicated than hard work,â de Villiers wrote in his column for Times of India.
Chennai Super Kings strangled the three-time finalists in a spin tango and once Virat Kohli and de Villiers were out, they hardly found a chance to come out of that situation. However, luckily for them, they got a four-day break in between, which the former South African skipper said spurred them on and their intensity in the nets session says so while adding that there will be hardly any change to the team against Mumbai Indians.
"On Tuesday, guided - and goaded - by head coach Gary Kirsten, we focussed almost entirely on fitness drills. If anybody imagines the RCB squad of 2019 are a group of pampered, preening professional cricketers, just one glance at the intensity of our training this week would have been sufficient to make them change their mind.Â
âThere are unlikely to be many changes in our team to play MI. We underperformed in Chennai but the balance feels right and, very often, it is consistency in the selection that enables a team to build momentum in a tournament. That's what we need right now... consistency and momentum, and an opening home victory over MI will effectively get our campaign up and running," the former South African skipper added.
After Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Jos Buttler by using controversial Mankad method, the cricket world has been divided into two parts, with one part being sided with Ashwin, while the other part bringing the âSpirit of Cricketâ theory to the fore. AB de Villers stated that Ashwin was well within the rights to do so, and thatâs why the grey area of the Law should be considered and discussed in the MCC board room.
"The 2019 IPL has enjoyed a fantastic start. Andre Russell's dazzling blast of 49 runs from 19 balls propelled KKR to victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad and set a high standard for the batters, while R Ashwin's run-out of Jos Butler at the non-striker's end provided controversy and a major talking point. I felt sorry for Butler because he wasn't trying to steal a run, and Ashwin did nothing wrong because he was operating within the laws. It's still a grey area, and Law 41.16 needs to be clarified. Either running a batsman out at the non-striker's end is legal or it isn't - can somebody please decide," de Villiers concluded.
