Former Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu was all praise for Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar for his fearless batting approach and leading from the front in the ongoing season. Patidar has looked like a man on a mission to set the tone for his team in the middle with the approach of hitting big shots from the word go. He is not messing around, taking any time to get settled and smashing the opposition bowlers right from the first ball, be it spinner or pacer.
He has smashed 222 runs in five matches at a staggering strike rate of 213.46, which has given his team a big boost in the middle overs, where other teams usually tend to slow down.
The defending champions have started their campaign in an emphatic fashion, with four wins in five matches, dominating home matches where they used to struggle in previous seasons.
Rayudu hailed the aggressive shift in approach from Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season, crediting skipper Patidar for setting the tone with fearless intent. He noted how the captain’s mindset is influencing the entire batting unit.
“They are going after every ball. The captain is doing that so the team is following that tempo and that template. Whenever you see Patidar walk in, he comes with a lot of intent. It is rubbing off on his non-striker as well as the batters who are following. It is refreshing to see RCB play that way,” Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo.
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Meanwhile, RCB registered a clinical win over Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday night, outclassing them in every department by assessing the conditions better. The bowlers did their job by bowling out LSG for 146 while the batters chased it down in just 15.1 overs.
Rayudu raves about RCB batters
Rayudu was impressed by the way RCB batters approached their chase on a slow surface, lauding them for hitting sixes on good deliveries rather than waiting for loose ones.
“Playing on a slow wicket, they adapted way better than the way Lucknow’s batters did. It was a slow wicket, they had to adjust their shots and their bat swing but they played some fantastic shots. Generally, we have seen a lot of sixes against loose balls, but this batting line-up has been hitting sixes against really good deliveries. That’s a great sign,” he added.