Bangalore: Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni blamed himself on Saturday for his narrow two-point shooting percentage against Royal Challenger Bengaluru in the IPL match here, saying he should “reduce a few shots in the middle to relieve stress”.
CSK failed to get four runs on the last ball as RCB beat them with an exciting last ball hit percentage, while young Ayush Mhatre's 94 (48 balls, 9×4, 5×6) and Ravindra Jadeja's Unberen 77 (45 balls, 8×4, 2X6) were on the Valley Sale.
Mhatre and Jadeja won the CSK for the third wicket with their excellent 64-ball 114 stance to win, setting the foundation for the quest for the 214 foundation.
“When I got into the bat, with this delivery and the required running, I felt like I should switch a few more shots to relieve the stress,” Dhoni told the broadcaster.
In a season full of live issues, Dhoni admitted that CSK's batsmen were not capable of playing low-saturation rolls.
He said: “Not all batsmen play (paddle).
Dhoni added: “Jadeja shot, but he is supporting more (on the ground). Batting is the area where we are slightly behind. But today, as a department, batting is doing very well.”
RCB Captain Rajat Patidar believes his batsman and Yash Dayal won the final. Despite six out of six, Dayal nailed his low all-pitched nails perfectly to reject CSK for the victory.
“It's a tense game, but it's a compliment to the batsman's way of hitting the ball. The way bowlers show courage, it's huge,” he said.
“He is the main bowler on the team (later) and he is a death expert, and it's a clear idea to give the last guy to Yash. He also performed well last year and I'm happy for him. I'm also confident in Suyash (Sharma) and until now he's bowling for RCB, and RCB has played very well.”
RCB's all-around Romario Shepherd hit 14 goals and proved to be the difference between the two teams, and he believes his base and the Bats are swaying as he scored six sixes and four boundaries in the fastest fifty of the season.
“I had a chance today. I've been waiting for a long time and finally got out of the bat and wanted to give the team a good end.”
Regarding his power, Shepard said: “(It is due to) my base and my way of swinging.
“We failed to lose the first few games as batting units. DK (Dinesh Karthik, batting coach and mentor) took us and gave us a specific job and it paid off today.”
