Blurb
Dinesh Karthik praised RCB’s resilience after their first defeat, highlighting Rajat Patidar’s leadership and Venkatesh Iyer’s cameo despite a tough loss to Rajasthan Royals.
GUWAHATI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Dinesh Karthik is staying positive after his team’s first defeat of the season. Despite losing by six wickets to the Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Stadium, Karthik emphasized that showing “character” during a long tournament like the IPL is more important than a single result.
Karthik admitted the pitch was tricky and “sticky,” making batting difficult. However, he was thrilled with how his squad fought through the challenges. He specifically highlighted captain Rajat Patidar, who played a brilliant knock of 63 runs. Karthik noted that Patidar’s ability to read the game and stay nearly until the end was a “special” display of leadership and skill under pressure.
The coach also gave a shout-out to Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer wasn’t originally supposed to play but was called up at the last minute. He stepped in fearlessly, smashing 29 runs off just 15 balls. Karthik called it a “wonderful effort” and a great sign for the rest of the season.
On the defensive side, the coach praised the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal but acknowledged that Rajasthan’s young stars simply took the game away. Even after giving up nearly 100 runs in the first six overs, RCB dragged the fight deep into the match. Moving forward, the team remains upbeat as they prepare for their next big challenge against the Mumbai Indians this Sunday. Karthik believes this resilient attitude will carry them far in the marathon season ahead.
