They want to be in high-pressure situations – Andy Flower on the terrific mindset of the RCB players
One of the key strengths for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last two seasons has been the variety of match-winners in the squad. With different players stepping up in different games, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted a strong front and the results were there for everyone to witness.
Talking on RCB’s Trophy Quest – The Second Act, RCB’s Head Coach, Andy Flower opened up on the team strength and how the balance between youth and experience has turned the side into a formidable unit.
Flower’s discussion ranged from the batting unit to the perfectly balanced bowling unit of the side.
Shedding light on the difference amongst the players, Andy Flower said, “The motivation for the different players, a bit like our strengths and weaknesses, they're always slightly different. A guy like Virat is hugely competitive. He loves being in that arena. And I think it's a common trait of a lot of champions, is that they want to be in the high-pressure situations.”
Explaining how the balanced bowling unit worked out wonders for RCB, Flower said, “They sort of smile at the challenge ahead of them, they smile at the nervousness that they feel, and they embrace it and feel alive in that situation. A guy like Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be slightly different, I'm not saying he's softer in any way. No one has that type of success as a medium-fast bowler without having some steel in his backbone. But his mastery of his art is a pleasure to bear witness to.”
He further added, “Hazelwood is slightly different as well. He's got unerring accuracy, real skill, and a calmness about the way he responds to pressure. He's been taken on by the batsmen this season in a way that probably didn't happen last year. He's responded like a proper champion would.”
Flower concluded by citing an example of how Hazlewood hit back when it mattered the most, Andy added, “No better example of that would be to Shubman Gill in the final. Shubman hit him back in the group game in Ahmedabad. In the final itself, in trying to reprise that act, Hazelwood got it and got the bounce that he can get. He was accurate and induced the top edge. That type of response to being put under pressure is exactly what you're looking for from champions.”
