RCB’s home truth: Flailing, failing and falling behind

RCB's home truth: Flailing, failing and falling behind

Early in Punjab Kings' modest chase of 95, Virat Kohli turned into a mime artist at slip. With animated gestures, he signalled to his captain Rajat Patidar, posted all the way at mid-on, to shift a deep fielder squarer. Kohli theatrically sealed the skit with an imaginary pull shot and a ballooning ball. Next delivery, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dug it in. Prabhsimran Singh obliged. And just as Kohli had drawn it up, the miscue floated, only to drop inches short of Yash Dayal at deep square-leg.

Over three games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, a pattern has emerged, both in and outside the PowerPlays: fast bowlers with mid-on and mid-wicket in, grass left vacant out in front of square, horizontal bat shots invited, and the pitch coaxed to misbehave. As it turns out, it's RCB who've kept taking the bait: three home games, three falls, each one a mirror held up to their own blueprint in what's otherwise been a very promising first half of the season.

The numbers are damning. In RCB's previous home game, Delhi Capitals seamers bowled 27 back-of-good-length deliveries, which yielded just 26 runs and claimed two wickets. At least three Delhi batters – Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel – themselves were caught in the cross-batted trap.

And yet, against Punjab Kings, the lessons weren't learned. After being put in to bat, RCB's top order flailed and failed again, swinging across the line and losing their wickets cheaply. Arshdeep Singh began with a full delivery to Phil Salt in search of swing and was driven for four. The India seamer didn't long to pull back his length had Salt caught in the trap. Arshdeep then got Kohli, who couldn't clear mid-on with his attempted pull. Liam Livingstone tried to manufacture length by charging out to Xavier Bartlett and holed out. Krunal Pandya too tried and failed with the pull.

The sight of a miscue ballooning up and falling into the hands of a fielder inside the circle has become all too familiar in Bengaluru this season. 47 deliveries from PBKS' pacers were marked at good (six-to-eight metres from the stumps) or just back-of-good length and they cost just 50 runs, bringing five RCB wickets. By the start of the seventh over, RCB were 33 for 5, already chasing the game.