IPL 2020 | RCB’s small mistakes cost them big time against KXIP, notes Gautam Gambhir
Kohli's mistakes in captaincy cost RCB a win
|Gautam Gambhir has noted that Virat Kohli’s small mistakes had ultimately cost them the game against Kings XI Punjab and also pointed out that bowling Shivam Dube in the last over was a blunder. He also admitted that Kohli could have opted to bowl either of Saini or Yadav for the final over.
From the word go, there was a stark difference in terms of quality between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore. While the KL Rahul-led side looked positive from the first ball, their counterparts, Bangalore looked sluggish and stubborn with their choices on the field, which ultimately led them to being punished by KL Rahul’s willow, which was ready for the contest. On top of that, Kohli’s lacklustre bowling changes, including closing the innings with Shivam Dube, came under scathing criticism.
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, who kept a keen eye on the contest, noted that RCB’s small mistakes cost them big time against Rahul-led side. Despite being an able fielder, on the night, even Kohli was a culprit for Bangalore’s loss, with twin drop to allow the opposition skipper to score 132 runs, 42 more than what he was batting when he was dropped for the first time.
“Had KL Rahul got out for 86-89, Kings XI would have scored 185, and chasing that would have been completely different gameplan for RCB. That is how it happened, that is what T20 cricket. Small mistakes can make a huge difference as well. It was a huge impact, especially from those results point of view,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
However, one mistake that Gambhir couldn’t quite fathom was Kohli’s decision to hand Dube his third over in the innings, which ultimately cost them 23 runs, taking KXIP’s total to 206/3, which was the difference between a win and loss, as RCB lost the encounter by 97 runs.
“I know Shivam Dube bowled really well in his first two overs. Yes, you would be tempted to give him a third over, but not the last over. When KL Rahul is already set and batting on 100+, you are walking on the edge, because that can happen,” Gambhir said.
“You finished off Navdeep Saini in the 17th over. Probably, you could have used Umesh Yadav, who did not have the best of the days. But Shivam Dube bowling the last over was a bad calculation,” the former KKR captain added.
