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The “fight” that Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed in their thrilling one-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders was praised by Faf du Plessis, who also noted that sometimes, in crucial situations, you need the clarity and confidence that comes with winning.
Chasing 223 runs, RCB were comfortably ahead at 137 for 2 after 11 overs because to a 102-run partnership between Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar, even though they lost two wickets during the powerplay.
However, Andre Russell removed both of the set batsmen in the same over, and Sunil Narine dismissed Cameron Green and Mahipal Lomror in the following over. Lomror, Patidar, and Jacks all went out for big shots. All of it resulted in RCB losing a seventh game in eight this season.
“I felt like you could see just towards the end there, there was perhaps a little bit of, you know, when you haven’t won games in a while, just that clarity [missing],” du Plessis said after the game. “I felt like we got really nice and close to the game there. And the over from Narine was probably the turning point for me, when they got those two wickets.
“I think that’s … where we feel like the game is changing,” du Plessis said of the batters trying to hit boundaries from the word go. “It doesn’t feel like there’s much more time to get yourself in.
“Obviously, you have the extra batter [with the Impact Player rule]. So the batting lineup is a little bit longer. But generally, the guys who come in and want to take six or seven balls to get themselves in and get six of six… You know, when you’re chasing 230, 240, 250, it just feels like the game doesn’t allow you to do that anymore. So it is tough.
“But I think especially, like I said, we got that massive over before the Narine over and then it feels like you’ve got a bit of a window. You almost just play the match-up again with Narine.
“I mean, that’s what I talk about those little moments where if you’re winning games and you get the confidence of how to get your team across the line, then your decision making is a little bit clearer in that space in the middle.”