IPL 2018: AB de Villiers Expects Turnaround in RCB Fortunes in the Upcoming Home Matches

Royal Challengers’ ace batsman, AB de Villiers, in a recent interaction, conceded his team’s performance is a way below expectation, in the early stages of the tournament.

However, AB hopes for a revival in winning in the upcoming four games at home, in front of their beloved crowd at M. Chinnaswamy.

“Five matches into a new season that started with such high hopes. This is not where we expected to be. Winning one and losing four falls way below our expectations,” wrote AB de Villiers in his column for TOI.

AB backed the abilities of his team and coach Daniel Vettori which will get them back into winning ways in the coming ten days.

“Under pressure, the temptation is always to panic and to start doubting each other. I am certain that, under the steady and intelligent guidance of coach Dan Vittori. This RCB group is strong enough to find our way through this period. And therefore, get back into contention at the top of the table,” the South African affirmed.

RCB started off their campaign by losing the away game against the Knight Riders. However, the red and blacks came back strongly in the home game against Kings XI Punjab.

That said, things have only gone downhill for RCB since, as they lost to Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals after conceding 200+.

Therefore, RCB has won only one out of the four matches played so far in the tournament, languishing at the bottom-half of the points table.

“Our next four games will all be played in front of our home supporters at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. This burst of matches over the next ten days presents us with an ideal opportunity to revive our campaign. Win one, win two… confidence grows,” added the Protea batsman.

De Villiers then reflected on the loss in Wankhede. After clinching a couple of wickets in the first two deliveries of the match, RCB lost the match by a considerable margin.

Virat Kohli played a fantastic inning in real adversity: AB

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However, AB cited out extreme humidity which led to a loss in intensity in the second half of the game, while commending Rohit Sharma for his efforts.

“Defeat in Mumbai on Sunday was disappointing. Especially after Umesh Yadav took two MI wickets with the first two balls of the match,”

“Rohit Sharma proceeded to play an extraordinary inning. For us, in the extreme humidity, it was both mentally and physically draining to see the home side recover,” continued the stalwart.

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Moreover, the South African, in conclusion, did not forget to value Virat Kohli’s valiant knock which reduced the margin of defeat considerably, thus affecting the net run-rate.

“It must be said that Kohli, our captain, played a fantastic inning in real adversity. He is hitting the ball really well. That obviously augers well for our revival,” AB de Villiers concluded.