'You're 111 for no loss & then go on to lose the game, that's a real issue': Pietersen after CSK beat RCB by 6 wickets | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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'You're 111 for no loss & then go on to lose the game, that's a real issue': Pietersen after CSK beat RCB by 6 wickets

Sep 25, 2021 09:54 AM IST

Pietersen said, unlike in the last game, RCB were in a very good position against CSK. But they failed to drive home the advantage despite a 111-run opening stand between captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal after being asked to bat first by MS Dhoni.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen said the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a couple of big issues which they need to sort quickly in order to get their campaign back on track in IPL 2021. RCB lost to Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in Sharjah on Friday. This was after the 9-wicket hammering they took against KKR in their first match of the second leg in Abu Dhabi.

Kevin Pietersen(Instagram/KP)
Kevin Pietersen(Instagram/KP)

Pietersen said, unlike in the last game, RCB were in a very good position against CSK. But they failed to drive home the advantage despite a 111-run opening stand between captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal after being asked to bat first by MS Dhoni.

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"You can gain momentum through winning and then you can gain momentum through losing as well. If you are going to get hammered like they were against KKR and now you are going to lose a game from being in a very good position then there is a problem. They were 111 for no loss but lost the game, that's an issue," Pietersen said in the post-match show on Star Sports.

Both Kohli and Padikkal struck fifties but CSK pulled the strings to restrict them to 156 for six.

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RCB managed only 45 runs in the remaining 6.4 overs after being in a position from where they could have pushed for a score in the vicinity of 200.

Bravo's bowling made a huge difference to the conclusion of the RCB innings as he conceded only 24 runs in his four overs and also added the wickets of Glenn Maxwell (11) and Harshal Patel (3).

Gaikwad and Du Plessis added 71 runs in 8.2 overs and later Moeen Ali (23) and Ambati Rayudu (32) also got starts but could not convert those into big knocks.

Suresh Raina (17) and skipper MS Dhoni (11) ensured that there was no twist in the tale, taking the side past the finish line.

Neither Mohammed Siraj nor Navdeep Saini could trouble the CSK openers. Whether the ball was pitched up, short or bowled at a good length, Gaikwad and his Protea partner treated them with equal disdain.

Realising that spinners may turn the game around, Kohli handed the ball to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell and the Australian responded with the wicket of du Plessis, who was guilty of playing a loose shot.

However, Rayudu and Moeen did not show any respect to the slow bowlers. They worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard moving and also got the big shots.

Pietersen said RCB and Kohli can't be depending on Chahal alone to deliver with the ball every time.

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"There are bowling issues too. We keep saying it, who is the bowler (who is going get wickets... Chahal can't continue to do it. I know h gets wickets, he gets wickets for RCB but you cannot say to him that you've got to do it every match. Somebody else has to stand up. One of the seamers have to stand up," he added.

(With PTI inputs)

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