‘They kept RCB under pressure’ - Sachin Tendulkar lauds RR after Qualifier 2 triumph

India legend Sachin Tendulkar heaped high praises for Rajasthan Royals bowlers as they restricted Royal Challengers Bangalore under a below-par score in Qualifier 2 on Friday (27 May 2022). Both Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy put up a great show as RCB only managed to score 157 runs in this high-voltage encounter. In reply, RR chased it down easily in 18.1 overs, thanks to Jos Buttler’s brilliant 106* off 60.

Krishna and McCoy got three wickets each in the match and they never allowed the pressure to ease on the RCB batters. Tendulkar said that RR bowlers never allowed RCB batters to play their shots freely in the entire match.

“Along with Prasidh, McCoy was the key bowler. Both kept Bangalore under pressure. Prasidh dismissed Karthik, who had been batting very well down the order with a good strike rate and followed it up with a brilliant delivery to Hasaranga. 157 wasn’t a good total at all on this surface,” Tendulkar said while speaking about the match on his YouTube channel.

‘That was a fantastic delivery’ – Sachin Tendulkar on Prasidh Krishna’s dismissal of Virat Kohli

He also said that Prasidh Krishna moved the ball in both ways to unsettle the RCB opener. “When the ball is moving only one way, it is easy to leave deliveries. However, one of the balls came back in and hit Virat on the thigh. Batters then think, ‘I can’t leave balls’. Prasidh’s follow-up delivery (wicket ball) was very good. Virat was beaten by the bounce. and the ball moved away off the wicket. That was a fantastic delivery,” he added.

Speaking about the match, Tendulkar praised RCB’s Rajat Patidar’s stroke-playing abilities and composure in the middle. “Where there is pace and bounce on the wicket, it is not easy for batters to adjust, but Patidar did quite well. The two cover drives he hit off Prasidh, his position was excellent. I liked his calm and controlled approach during his innings.”

Patidar was the star of the show once again (58 runs off 42 balls) for RCB but still, RR managed to restrict them to a below-par score. Rajasthan will be against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (29 May 2022) in the final.