IPL 2019: RCB’s AB de Villiers believes in hard work, and not hard luck to make a difference

The first half of this edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL) has turned out to be equivalent to a nightmare for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The franchise lost six matches in a row and were looking down and out. The Red Army made a number of changes but strained to find the proper combination. Their bowling turned out to be a massive detriment in their journey in the IPL.

However, Virat Kohli and Co eventually managed to cease their seven-match losing streak in their erstwhile match against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. RCB won by eight wickets chasing 174 on a wicket, which had pretty less for the bowlers. AB de Villiers was adjudged as the Player of the Match for scoring 59 runs off 38 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Quite expectantly, he was happy after the victory. The former South African cricketer mentioned that the team was delighted following the last-over finish. He said that the fans and media reacted to their poor show, something that was inevitable.

Furthermore, ABD told that it’s hard work that makes all the difference and not hard luck. The 34-year-old is currently looking forward to RCB’s upcoming match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in today’s night game.

In the critical moments, we were present as a team

“RCB found mercy in Mohali. Kings XI Punjab had won their last seven home matches and we were facing a seventh successive defeat… and yet, against the odds, finally, we were the team smiling after yet another nerve-wracking last over finish,” De Villiers wrote in his column for The Times of India (TOI).

“It’s inevitable and understandable that supporters and the media will react – and almost always overreact – to the result, lionising winners and demeaning the defeated, but, as players at the heart of the action, our challenge is to respect the game, accept the vagaries, and work as hard as possible to fall on the right side of the tiny margins.

Hard work, not hard luck, makes the difference. We took one small step in the right direction on Saturday because our bowlers pulled the home side back in the middle overs, because our fielding was marginally improved and because our batters performed with greater intensity. In the critical moments, we were present as a team. Our next challenge is to rest well during and repeat the performance against MI on Monday,” he added.

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