Following his side’s six-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower admitted that only one in-form batsman cannot rescue the team in a highly competitive tournament.
Apart from the red-hot Virat Kohli, the league’s top-scorer this season with 316 runs from five matches, none of the recognised batsmen in the RCB team have managed to find their top form so far.
On Saturday Kohli’s sparkling 113 not out off 72 balls went in vain as Rajasthan Royals batter Jos Buttler’s thunderous hundred handed the RCB their fourth defeat in five matches.
“It is just a fact that at the moment that our top five are not in sparkling form except Virat. It is a tough place to be. It is not from lack of effort, they are working hard, they are giving everything they have got. Just not firing at the moment. If we have got to turn this around, we need them firing,” Flower, the legendary Zimbabwe batsman, said at the post-match press conference.
Kohli hit his third fifty-plus score of this season as he put on an opening stand of 125 with skipper Faf du Plessis, who hit 44, to lay the foundations for the total of 183 for three.
But Glenn Maxwell (1) failed yet again with the bat and Cameron Green (5 not out off 6 balls) struggled to find any rhythm in the death overs.
Kohli, who is still awaiting his first IPL title with Bengaluru, stood firm and hit back as he finished with 12 fours, including three in the final over, and four sixes in his 72-ball knock.