Published Wed, Mar 31 10 09:43 PM
Chennai, Mar 31 (PTI) Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble today attributed his side''s five wicket defeat to Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League to the loss of momentum towards end of their batting, saying that it had made them 20 runs short of a challenging total. "We had the momentum until the 13th or the 14th over, but then we lost it a little bit," Kumble said referring to Jacques Kallis'' inability to force the pace of scoring at a crucial stage of the game. "We were some 20 runs short, and that made it a little hard for us," said Kumble. The former India captain said RCB were still well placed for a semifinal berth as seven more matches are left in the league stage. "There still are seven matches to go. Four out of seven is not a bad start. Yes, we lost a bit of momentum in the batting period and there were no early wickets. But Murali Vijay batted really well, and you must give credit to the Super Kings," he said. RCB lost back-to-back matches in the IPL III but Kumble compared it to last year''s performance. "We had plenty of losses at the start last year as well but we changed that. We have two games in the next three days, and hopefully they will go our way," he said. Chennai Super Kings opener and man of the match, Murali Vijay was happy that he contributed to his side''s win but said he should have carried his bat till the end of run chase. "It''s something I will work on. I am really happy that my contribution helped the team win. I enjoyed batting out there today in front of my home crowd," said Vijay, who made a scintillating 78 run off 39 balls. "This match really mattered to us as a team. Everyone was pumped up. From now on, we will take every match as it comes. Our next match is against the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, and we will concentrate on what we can get out of that game," he added. On his quickfire 78, Vijay said, "I have proved a few things to myself. Getting runs in Twenty20 cricket under pressure is really difficult. This format is very intense and it tests you physically and mentally. I really enjoyed this knock, but what makes it even more special is that it helped the team register a victory and keep us in the hunt for a semifinal berth." PTI RE PDS
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