NEW DELHI:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
captain Faf du Plessis expressed relief after his team halted a six-game losing streak with a resounding 35-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
"I forgot the way to the press conference," joked Du Plessis when asked about the feeling of winning after a month, a lighthearted remark amidst the team's recent struggles.
RCB have registered only two wins in nine matches so far in the ongoing season. Their first victory came against Punjab Kings on March 25, followed by a second win on April 25 after a month-long wait.
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Reflecting on their recent performances, Du Plessis highlighted the fighting spirit displayed by RCB in their last two matches.
"Last two games, we've shown great signs of fight. SRH game was 270 plus, we got 260. KKR game as well - 1 run. We've been close for a while, but you need to win matches to get confidence as a group. Will sleep easier tonight," he said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
The South African skipper emphasized the importance of tangible performances in boosting the team's confidence. "You can't speak confidence into the group, can't fake confidence into the group. Only thing that gives confidence is performances," he asserted.
While acknowledging
Virat Kohli
's consistent run-scoring for RCB, Du Plessis expressed satisfaction with the resurgence of other batters.
"The competition is so strong, the teams are so strong that you'll get hurt if you're not at 100 percent. More guys are scoring runs now. First half of the tournament only Virat was scoring runs. Greeny scoring runs now will be massive for him," he noted.
In the match, chasing a formidable target of 207, SRH's aggressive batting approach backfired as they slumped to 69/5 in the 8th over and failed to recover thereafter. The result underscores the challenges of balancing aggression and caution in the dynamic game of T20 cricket.
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