Ahmedabad, June 1 (IANS) After Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their second successive IPL title with a five‑wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik praised skipper Rajat Patidar’s calmness, saying that bowlers tend to thrive when they have a captain like him leading the side.

Patidar-led RCB finished at the top of the ten-team points table in the league stage and successfully defended their title by chasing down 156. Before Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 75 took them over the line, seamers Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam Dar were precise in their execution of plans to rattle GT and keep them to 155/8.

“Rajat has been a huge calming influence in a dressing room that is high-octane and high testosterone. He keeps things very calm, and that’s so important. The bowlers thrive when you have a calm captain; it definitely helps under pressure.

“I think he likes to be a star, not a superstar. There are plenty of guys in that team who are big names and get the job done in high-pressure situations. The only time Rajat is aggressive is when he’s batting.

“Other than that, he brings a very calm atmosphere and is happy for a lot of the senior players to go front and centre, which I believe is a very important trait in a leader. He just sits back, allows things to get done, and does exactly what needs to be done in that moment,” said Karthik on JioHotstar.

Karthik was also in praise of the responsibility shown by senior players like Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar and Kohli in making RCB only the third team after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to defend their IPL title. “We have a lot of skill in the room. We’re a very well-rounded team, both batting and bowling. We’ve tried to make sure most of the boxes are ticked in terms of the power we have and the skill we possess with the ball.

“It was great to see someone like Bhuvi bring his experience to the fore from game one right through to the end, he was always there for us. Hazlewood started in a certain way but finished strongly for us. Virat, under pressure and in a big chase, stood up yet again. That’s why he’s called the King.

“You can see youngsters playing a lot of different shots, but it was him who brought solidity to the chase. GT wanted one wicket. They knew that if they got Virat at any point, the game would be different for them. He withstood that pressure, and that tells you everything you need to know about him,” he elaborated.

Karthik signed off by underlining the importance of squad depth and quality backups for RCB to thrive as a winning unit. “Ideally, I might not want another mega auction, but there’s a lot of planning that goes into it. It’s one thing to have a good starting XII, but you always know that in a tournament like this, there could be an injury, a player arriving late, or someone dealing with family issues, and you need to be prepared for all of that.

“Across skill sets, we had some really good backups. When Salty left, Bethell came in. When Bethell got injured, Venkatesh Iyer came in. When Josh Hazlewood wasn’t around, Duffy was there, who was the World No. 1 T20 bowler.

“Rasikh Salam didn’t get a game for us last year, but this year, the way he has come in under pressure, constantly bowling tough overs and standing up to the challenge, has been impressive. He’s got that character, and it emanates from the way we practise and the clarity Mo and Andy have given to a lot of the players.”

–IANS

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