The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sealed a commanding nine-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, led by outstanding new ball spells from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who shared seven wickets between them.
Captain Rajat Patidar credited his bowlers for setting up the win, but admitted that he was surprised by how the pitch behaved after he won the toss and elected to field first.
“Absolutely. Even I am surprised the way wicket played. All credit goes to the bowlers, Bhuvi and Hazlewood. They hit the right areas. The swing was normal, but the good thing was we got early wickets, and that kept us in the driving seat. The way Suyash bowled, stump to stump, it was really good to see,” Patidar said during the post-match presentation.
Last game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium had seen a belter of a pitch, where Punjab Kings had chased down the highest successful score in IPL history. Patidar admitted that teams needed to have good bowling attacks while playing on flat surfaces.
“It is very important to follow your routines. We are taking it one game at a time. Different players are coming up and doing well. In T20 cricket, on flat pitches, you need the bowling, because bowlers only can win you tournaments,” he said.
RCB batsman Devdutt Padikkal admitted that watching the duo made him feel like there would be a catch coming his way almost every ball.