That explosive 70 off just 25 balls left Tim David grinning, the Aussie power hitter pointing to guidance from RCB’s batting coach Dinesh Karthik for helping adjust to local pitches. Called the finest closer by captain Rajat Patidar, David smashed eight huge sixes alongside three fours, lifting Royal Challengers to a total of 250 for 3 before their bowlers dismissed CSK at 207.
“I do not change my game much, but I have confidence from all the preparation that I do. It is nice to work with DK (Dinesh Karthik’s fraternity name), he is an experienced player in these conditions. I have been in the IPL for a few years and with that kind of preparation, you don’t put pressure on yourself to perform,” David said at the post-match presentation.
That moment brought him joy – rare feats like this don’t come around often.
“Very pleased – it does not always happen that way. The skipper (Rajat Patidar, who scored 48 off 19 balls) was smoking it. And I just took some balls off him – it was super fun. Going in to bat with Jitesh (Sharma) and (Romario) Shepherd behind me really gives me confidence,” he said.
Patidar, the captain, showered compliments saying David knows exactly how to close games better than most. That kind of steady performance stands out, he added, rarely spotting someone so reliable at crunch moments. Then came a nod to Krunal Pandya, more experienced in the setup, taking two wickets back-to-back – Sarfaraz Khan and then Kartik Sharma – in the same over.
“Whenever I come under pressure, I look to KP (Krunal Pandya) and I have that much belief in him.” A distraught CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t have much explanation to offer after a third straight defeat.
“If I would have contributed more, maybe it could have been different. It (the loss) was definitely on me today,” he said.
“We still had the game in our hands till the 13-14th over (of the bowling innings but let momentum slip after it.”
