NEW DELHI: After pacer Mohammed Siraj set up Royal Challengers Bengaluru's four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in Bengaluru, batting veteran Sunil Gavaskar stated that the speedster's true strengths are his self-belief and never-say-die spirit.
IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEShubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha were removed by Siraj with two wickets in the powerplay, which was a major factor in GT's failure as they were bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs on Saturday.
"Every time you see Mohammed Siraj, you know that he's going to give his heart out. Remember the time when his father passed away when he was in Australia. He carried on," Gavaskar said on Star Sports Cricket Live.
"A lot of people would want to go back because your parents are so dear to you. But I think he realised that playing for India was important. Also, he was not established at that stage. An established player would 100 per cent have gone back.
"And remember how spectacularly he bowled in that Gabba Test match. Getting somebody like Steve Smith out when he was on 55... so this is the real strength of Mohammed Siraj, the self-belief and the never-say-die attitude on the field."
Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) gave RCB a dazzling start by scoring 92 runs in the powerplay while chasing a meek 148.
But the RCB faltered, going from 92/0 to 117/6, before winning easily in 13.4 overs.
"Extraordinary stuff during the power play when RCB was batting. It was just game on, and then all of a sudden things changed. Were they trying to counter the net run rate solution? And if that is the case, then well played to them because they needed to go hard," former Australian batter Matthew Hayden said.
"So they lost those three wickets to Joshua Little straight away in that middle stage of the match. And then they were able to consolidate because, simply as you heard Faf at the presentation say, anything short of 180, even 190 on this high-scoring venue, was never going to be enough runs."
Former England cricketer and coach Paul Collingwood praised the RCB hitters' "aggressive approach" as well.
"The intensity displayed by RCB with the ball was commendable. Even while chasing a modest total, seeing Virat Kohli stepping out of his crease and effortlessly flicking a delivery for six on just the second ball indicated their aggressive intent. This signals danger for their opponents.
"Despite their position near the bottom of the table, RCB didn't hold back. They showed clarity, bravery, and aggression, particularly in the middle order. Although they lost wickets, I commend their aggressive approach," he said.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru stage nervy win over Gujarat Titans
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