"You cannot speak or pretend confidence in the group.
"The only thing that gives confidence is performance," he stated.
Faf du Plessis will "sleep easier" after the bottom-ranked Royal
Challengers Bangalore broke their six-match losing streak by defeating the
in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs in Hyderabad. After Rajat Patidar's 50
off 20 put RCB on 206 for 7, they reduced the home team to 171 for 8, owing to
spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh, who combined to capture four wickets
early in the game. With this victory, RCB has kept their playoff qualifying
hopes alive.
The RCB skipper described it as a "massive relief" and stated that the
win might restore confidence in the squad after admitting that a
string of defeats could take a mental toll on his team.
"The last two games, we've shown great signs of fight," du Plessis
remarked during the presentation. "The SRH game was 270-plus, and we got
to 260; the KKR game was only one run. It was like a record chase.
We've been close for a while, but you have to win matches to regain confidence
in the group. It's a huge relief. No matter where we are, not winning has an
impact on you, your mental state, and your confidence. "I'll sleep a
little easier tonight."
"You cannot speak or pretend confidence in the group. The only thing that inspires confidence is performance. During the first half of the competition, we felt like we weren't performing to our maximum capacity. And when you're playing at 50% or 60%, you definitely try your hardest, but you don't gain the confidence of your teammates. "The competition and teams are so strong that you'll get hurt [if you're not 100%]."We've spent the previous week and a half working hard to improve our own game. You can tell from the past game that we have some trust in our batting.
We have more players scoring runs now. During the first half of the tournament, only Virat [Kohli] contributed. Rajat is playing two really strong innings in a row, Greeny [Cameron Green] is scoring runs, and it's huge for him just to have that pressure off his shoulders. A hitting lineup must contribute together because, as we've seen, the scores are so high that it won't be just one man scoring the runs."
Du Plessis went on to say that bowling at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru
was difficult due to the narrower boundaries. His dissatisfaction was reflected
in the results, as RCB has lost three of their four home games so far, with
their bowlers struggling for wickets. On a larger pitch, such as the Rajiv
Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, du Plessis said his spinners were
capable of handling most dimensions and circumstances.
"Obviously, we know Chinnaswamy, and it has been a source of great irritation for us. To be honest, the terrain is difficult to bowl on. It's not easy terrain. Spinners see it as a challenge. We're looking for a recipe where we feel like we can bowl on that terrain. But it's been difficult for guys to develop a recipe that works. When you get grounds like this, which are slightly larger and have a little more purchase in the wicket... Karn [Sharma] was fantastic. A legspinner, I believe, is very important in T20 cricket.
The previous time RCB won was exactly a month ago against
Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium when they chased down 177. On
Thursday, against high-scoring SRH, Green thought their decision to bat at the
toss was daring.
"We constantly have to celebrate small victories, and we feel fairly good
right now. It's always wonderful to get back to winning ways. It was [a
courageous decision to bat first]. I was not in accord with [batting first], so
credit to the captain and coach. "SRH has been batting beautifully when
they bat first, which was the main reason," Green stated.
After a few quiet games, the Australian allrounder blasted
in all areas on Thursday, scoring an unbeaten 37 off 20 at No. 5 and returning
2 for 12 in two overs. He also took a critical, crisp catch to dismiss Heinrich
Klaasen off Swapnil's bowling, leaving SRH 56 for 4 in the powerplay.
"I am still young in my career, so I'm trying to figure it out
myself," he stated of his optimum batting position in T20s. "Of
course, I prefer to bat in order, but it depends on what the team requires. I'm
attempting to teach myself. [On Klaasen's Catch] I believe I was thinking
'Klaasen, Klaasen' the entire time. It stayed up there for a while; I'm glad I
held on to it."
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