It's always a possibility that you may look past some key moments in a game when your team is on the winning side in the end, but not when you are a seasoned pro like Dinesh Karthik, who made an interesting analysis, which is hard to deny as a factor that contributed in
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
's (RCB) win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL on Saturday night.
The game was played under overcast skies and even got interrupted by rain during RCB innings, after the hosts were put in to bat by CSK, who won the toss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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Bowling with a ball that repeatedly got wet after rolling on the grass wasn't easy. It was the same for RCB bowlers as they went in to defend a formidable 218/5. While CSK would have loved to win and move into the playoffs, they also had an eye on the 201-run mark, which would have helped them finish in the playoffs bracket even in the face of a defeat.
Yash Dayal was asked by RCB captain Faf du Plessis to deliver the final over. With it difficult to grip the wet ball, Dayal faltered off the first delivery, which turned into a juicy full-toss to
MS Dhoni on leg-side. The CSK legend helped himself by dispatching it for a 100-metre six that landed outside the stadium.
That required a replacement ball to be called for. It was much drier and comparativey easier to grip for the bowler.
The six, thus, turned into a blessing in disguise for Dayal, who not only dismissed Dhoni (25 off 13 balls) on the next delivery but also conceded just one run off his last four deliveries to spark off victory celebrations in the RCB camp.
Analysing the game in the dressing room after the win, RCB's veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik descriibed that crucial moment in the dying stage of the match.
"The best thing to happen today was Dhoni hitting that six outside the ground (because) we got a new ball, which was much better (drier) to bowl with," said Karthik, as everyone in the dressing room approved of his analysis.
"Yash, that was good bowling. You have a doubt, always bowl a hip-high full-toss on leg-stump...that's a good mantra to follow when the ball is wet," he added on a lighter note.
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He then commended the effort of his teammates, especially for registering six consecutive wins to qualify for the playoffs, when it all looked gloomy having lost seven of their first eight matches of the season.
"Other than that, jokes apart, we should be really proud of this journey that we are having. People always remember certain journeys. The way we have come back after 8 games (losing seven of those), we needed to win six (in a row). The way we have come back, I think people will remember this team for a very very special (long) time," said Karthik.
On a cheeky note, the 38-year-old stumper added: "Don't be like Andy Flower (head coach) with a glum face. Smile, enjoy, drink, party, have fun.
"We have within our grasp to do something where people will remember us for many many decades. They’ll say 'wow, that RCB team was special'."
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