BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Smriti Mandhana revealed that the clear message given to players was to “show intent straightaway” following their 23-run triumph over UP Warriorz.
RCB were clinical throughout the match in all facets of the game, making Warriorz struggle to match their intensity.
Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh dealt in boundaries and scored at a 150-plus strike rate. The intent of putting up a big score was quite evident in the way they decided to approach the game.
“We were under the pump after the last two games and we knew we had to get going today. Losing the toss didn’t help but there was a clear message to show intent straightaway. Everyone batted really well including Meghana at the top and then the bowlers came out and did their job,” Mandhana said after the game.
The southpaw batter picked up boundaries according to her will, leaving Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy clueless in the first innings. She went on to score 80 off just 50 deliveries before losing her wicket to spinner Deepti Sharma.
Mandhana opened up about her preparation and the 95-run stand that she brought up with Perry.
“Definitely got a little lucky on 26 but I’ll take that because we really wanted this win. The practice was really good and playing domestic helped. It was good preparation, once you get the feel you just need to pick which area to target. Me and Perry were saying to each other that we’ve played together for 10 matches but this was the first 50-run stand,” Mandhana said.
“We are both experienced enough to recognize which bowler to target. There wasn’t much chat, it was just about executing. We never thought that we were out of the game, that’s how T20 cricket is. We were talking about how we would take wickets and come back. Different bowlers took pressure at different times and got the job done,” she added.
RCB will face Gujarat Giants on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi. (ANI)