"I Think We Played it Perfectly...": Faf du Plessis on RCB's Valiant Effort in 8-Run Loss vs CSK
du Plessis and Maxwell almost stole the win for RCB [iplt20.com]
In a high-scoring and nail-biting encounter, Chennai Super Kings (CSK)emerged victorious over the Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs in Match 24 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
The match, which took place on Monday at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, witnessed both teams displaying their batting prowess with runs flowing from both sides. However, it was CSK who held their nerves and came out on top.
With two wins and three losses, RCB finds themselves at the seventh spot in the points table after the defeat. RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis, reflected upon his team's close loss and acknowledged the opposition's skillful bowling in the final overs, which prevented his team from finishing off the game.
Du Plessis expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating that they played perfectly, setting themselves up for a strong finish in the last five overs. Although DK's ability to finish games is well-known, he acknowledged the opposition's strong bowling performance, which made it difficult for them to chase down the target.
“I think we played it perfectly, the last five overs were set up for the finish. DK finishing the game, that's bread and butter for him, but that shows how good their bowling was. 200 was going to be par, we went for few runs towards the end,” said du Plessis in the post-match presentation.
The South African veteran stated that 200 runs would have been a par score, and they could have minimized the damage by restricting the opposition to less than 20 runs in an over towards the end. He also acknowledged the wicket as one of the best for batters.
“We could have minimised the damage by restricting them (for less than 20 in an over.) The last four overs was where it was set up for a perfect finish. It was one of those wickets, one of the best (for batters.),” added the dynamic opener.
Despite not being able to finish the game off, the 38-year old believed that the team needs to move on and keep going harder against spinners in the middle overs. He also expressed disappointment about losing power towards the end and getting stiff.
“We couldn't manage to finish it off, but we got to move on. I lost a little bit of power towards the end, was disappointed as I got stiff. Need to keep going harder against the spinners in the middle overs,” concluded du Plessis.
Earlier in the game, CSK set a formidable target of 226/6 with the help of aggressive batting from Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, and Moeen Ali.
In response, RCB lost opener Virat Kohli in the first over but Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell launched a brutal assault, adding 126 runs for the third wicket.
However, Maheesh Theekshana's crucial wicket of Maxwell tilted the game in CSK's favor, and Du Plessis fell in the next over. Despite Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande bowling a few wides, they held their nerves and restricted RCB to 218/8, securing a vital victory for CSK.
 "Jatin")
